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.  Xccessions  .Xo.At^yZ'?-  Shelf  No.      7  J~J 


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THE   GKEAT   TABOO 


BY 


GKANT   ALLEN 


HSIT;   ' 


NEW    YORK 

HARPER   &   BROTHERS,  FRANKLIN    SQUARE 

1891 


W*jVT- 


PREFACE. 


I  desire  to  express  my  profound  indebtedness,  for 
the  central  mythological  idea  embodied  in  this  tale,  to 
Mr.  J.  G.  Frazer's  admirable  and  epoch-making  work, 
"  The  Golden  Bough,"  whose  mairt  contention  I  have 
endeavored  incidentally  to  popularize  in  my  present 
story.  I  wish  also  to  express  my  obligations  in  other 
ways  to  Mr.  Andrew  Lang's  "  Myth,  Ritual,  and  Relig- 
ion," Mr.  H.  O.  Forbes's  "Naturalist's  Wanderings," 
and  Mr.  Julian  Thomas'.s  "  Cannibals  and  Convicts." 
If  I  have  omitted  to  mention  any  other  author  to  whom 
I  may  have  owed  incidental  hints,  it  will  be  some  con- 
solation to  me  to  reflect  that  I  shall  at  least  have  af- 
forded an  opportunity  for  legitimate  sport  to  the  ama- 
teurs of  the  new  and  popular  British  pastime  of  badger- 
baiting  or  plagiary-hunting.  It  may  also  save  critics 
some  moments'  search  if  I  say  at  once  that,  after  care- 
ful consideration,  I  have  been  unable  to  discover  any 
moral  whatsoever  in  this  humble  narrative.  I  venture 
to  believe  that  in  so  enlightened  an  age  the  majority 

of  my  readers  will  never  miss  it. 

J  G.  A. 

The  Nook,  Dorking,  October,  1890. 


CONTENTS. 


OHAPTEE  PAGE 

I.  In    Mid    Pacific         1 

II.  The  Temple  of  the  Deity        11 

III.  Land  :    but  what  Land  ?      23 

IV.  The  Guests  of  Heaven ...  33 

V.  Enrolled    in    Olympus         ...        „  „  0        ...  44 

VI.  First  Days  in  Boupari...        . ..        ...  54 

VII.  Interchange  of  Civilities 63 

VIII.  The    Customs    of    Boupari       74 

IX.  Sowing    the    Wind  ...         84 

X.  Reaping    the    Whirlwind          95 

XL  After  the  Storm       102 

XII.  A  Point  of  Theology 110 

m 

XIII.  As  Between  Gods 117 

XIV.  "  Mr.  Thurstan,  I  presume  "     125 

XV.  The  Secret  of  Korong       132 

XVI.  A  Very  Faint   Clue       141 

XVII.  Facing  the  Worst 148 

XVIII.  Tu-Kila-Kila  Plays  a  Card     153 

XIX.  Domestic    Bliss         163 

XX.  Council  of  War 174 

XXL  Methuselah  Gives  Sign       181 

XXII.  Tantalizing,  Very          190 


vi  CONTENTS. 

OHAPTKR  PAGE 

.Will.  A    Message    from   tiik    Dead       196 

XXIV.  An    I'ntimhii:],    T\i.k 203 

XXV.  Tr-Kii.A-Kn  \    Stiukks        209 

X.W'I.  A    Rash    Rbsolvb        218 

X  XVII.  A  Strange   Ally 225 

XXVHI.  Wackk  of    Uattle        232 

XXIX.  Victory — and  After?       240 

X  X  X.  Suspense 249 

XXXI.  At  Sea:    Off   Bootaei     256 

XXXII.  The   Downfall   of   a  Pantheon       . .  .  263 


THE  GREAT  TABOO. 


CHAPTER   I. 

IN  MID  PACIFIC. 

"Man  overboard !" 

It  rang  in  Felix  Thurstan's  ears  like  the  sound  of  a 
bell.  He  gazed  about  him  in  dismay,  wondering  what 
had  happened. 

The  first  intimation  he  received  of  the  accident  was 
that  sudden  sharp  cry  from  the  bo' sun's  mate.  Almost 
before  he  had  fully  taken  it  in,  in  all  its  meaning, 
another  voice,  farther  aft,  took  up  the  cry  once  more 
in  an  altered  form:  "A  lady!  a  lady!  Somebody 
overboard !  Great  heavens,  it's  her  !  It's  Miss  Ellis ! 
Miss  Ellis !" 

Next  instant  Felix  found  himself,  he  knew  not  how, 
strufMing  in  a  wild  grapple  with  the  dark,  black  water. 
A  woman  was  clinging  to  him — clinging  for  dear  life. 
But  he  couldn't  have  told  you  himself  that  minute  how 
it  all  took  place.     He  was  too  stunned  and  dazzled. 

He  looked  around  him  on  the  seething  sea  in  a  sud- 
den awakening,  as  it  were,  to  life  and  consciousness. 
All  about,  the  great  water  stretched  dark  and  tumul- 
tuous. White  breakers  surged  over  him.  Far  ahead 
1 


2  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

the  steamer's  lights  gleamed  red  and  green  in  long  lines 
upon  the  ocean.  At  first  they  ran  fast;  then  they 
slackened  somewhat.  She  was  surely  slowing  now : 
they  must  be  reversing  engines  and  trying  to  stop  her. 
They  would  put  out  a  boat.  But  what  hope,  what 
chance  of  rescue  by  night,  in  such  a  wild  waste  of 
waves  as  that?  And  Muriel  Ellis  was  clinging  to  him 
for  dear  life  all  the  while,  with  the  despairing  clutch 
of  a  half-drowned  woman  ! 

The  people  on  the  Australasian,  for  their  part,  knew 
better  what  had  occurred.  There  was  bustle  and  com- 
motion enough  on  deck  and  on  the  captain's  bridge,  to 
be  sure :  "  Man  overboard  !" — three  sharp  rings  at  the 
engine  bell : — "  Stop  her  short ! — reverse  engines  ! — 
lower  the  gig  ! — look  sharp,  there,  all  of  you !"  Pas- 
sengers hurried  up  breathless  at  the  first  alarm  to  know 
what  was  the  matter.  Sailors  loosened  and  lowered 
the  boat  from  the  davits  with  extraordinary  quickness. 
Officers  stood  by,  giving  orders  in  monosyllables  with 
practised  calm.  All  was  hurry  and  turmoil,  yet  with 
a  marvellous  sense  of  order  and  prompt  obedience  as 
well.  But,  at  any  rate,  the  people  on  deck  hadn't  the 
swift  swirl  of  the  boisterous  water,  the  hampering  wet 
clothes,  the  pervading  consciousness  of  personal  dan- 
ger, to  make  their  brains  reel,  like  Felix  Thurstan's. 
They  could  ask  one  another  with  comparative  com- 
posure what  had  happened  on  board ;  they  could  listen 
without  terror  to  the  story  of  the  accident. 

It  was  the  thirteenth  day  out  from  Sydney,  and  the 
Australasian  was  rapidly  nearing  the  equator.  Tow- 
ards evening,  the  wind  had  freshened,  and  the  sea 
was  running  high  against  her  weather  side.     But  it 


THE    GREAT    TABOO. 


was  a  fine  starlit  night,  though  the  moon  had  not  yet 
risen  ;  and  as  the  brief  tropical  twilight  faded  away  by 
quick  degrees  in  the  west,  the  fringe  of  cocoanut  palms 
on  the  reef  that  bounded  the  little  island  of  Boupari 
showed  out  for  a  minute  or  two  in  dark  relief,  some 
miles  to  leeward,  against  the  pale  pink  horizon.  In 
spite  of  the  heavy  sea,  many  passengers  lingered  late 
on  deck  that  night  to  see  the  last  of  that  coral-girt 
shore,  which  was  to  be  their  final  glimpse  of  land  till 
they  reached  Honolulu,  en  route  for  San  Francisco. 

Bit  by  bit,  however,  the  cocoanut  palms,  silhouetted 
with  their  graceful  waving  arms  for  a  few  brief  min- 
utes in  black  against  the  glowing  background,  merged 
slowly  into  the  sky  or  sank  below  the  horizon.  All 
grew  dark.  One  by  one,  as  the  trees  disappeared,  the 
passengers  dropped  off  for  whist  in  the  saloon,  or  re- 
tired to  the  uneasy  solitude  of  their  own  state-rooms. 
At  last  only  two  or  three  men  were  left  smoking  and 
chatting  near  the  top  of  the  companion  ladder ;  while 
at  the  stern  of  the  ship  Muriel  Ellis  looked  over  tow- 
ards the  retreating  island,  and  talked  with  a  certain 
timid  maidenly  frankness  to  Felix  Thurstan. 

There's  nowhere  on  earth  for  getting  really  to  know 
people  in  a  very  short  time  like  the  deck  of  a  great 
Atlantic  or  Pacific  liner.  You're  thrown  together  so 
much,  and  all  day  long,  that  you  see  more  of  your  fel- 
low-passengers' inner  life  and  nature  in  a  few  brief 
weeks  than  you  would  ever  be  likely  to  see  in  a  long 
twelvemonth  of  ordinary  town  or  country  acquaintance- 
ship. And  Muriel  Ellis  had  seen  a  great  deal  in  those 
thirteen  days  of  Felix  Thurstan ;  enough  to  make  sure 
in  her  own  heart  that  she  really  liked  him — well — so 


.1  THE    GREAT    TABOO. 

much  that  she  looked  up  with  a  pretty  blush  of  self- 
consciousuess  every  time  he  approached  and  lifted  his 
hat  to  her.  Muriel  was  an  English  rectors  daughter, 
from  a  country  village  in  Somersetshire;  and  she  was 
now  on  her  way  back  from  a  long  year's  visit,  to  re- 
cruit her  health,  to  an  aunt  in  Paramatta.  She  was 
travelling  under  the  escort  of  an  amiable  old  chaperon 
whom  the  aunt  in  question  had  picked  up  for  her  be- 
fore leaving  Sj^dney  ;  but,  as  the  amiable  old  chaperon, 
being  but  an  indifferent  sailor,  spent  most  of  her  time 
in  her  own  berth,  closely  attended  by  the  obliging 
stewardess,  Muriel  had  found  her  chaperonage  inter- 
fere very  little  with  opportunities  of  talk  with  that 
nice  Mr.  Thurstan.  And  now,  as  the  last  glow  of  sun- 
set died  out  in  the  western  sky,  and  the  last  palm-tree 
faded  away  against  the  colder  green  darkness  of  the 
tropical  night,  Muriel  was  leaning  over  the  bulwarks 
in  confidential  mood,  and  watching  the  big  waves  ad- 
vance or  recede,  and  talking  the  sort  of  talk  that  such 
an  hour  seems  to  favor  with  the  handsome  young 
civil  servant  who  stood  on  guard,  as  it  were,  beside 
her.  For  Felix  Thurstan  held  a  government  appoint- 
ment at  Levuka,  in  Fiji,  and  was  now  on  his  way  home, 
on  leave  of  absence  after  six  years'  service  in  that  new- 
made  colony. 

"  How  delightful  it  would  be  to  live  on  an  island 
like  that!''  Muriel  murmured,  half  to  herself,  as  she 
gazed  out  wistfully  in  the  direction  of  the  disappearing 
coral  reef.  "  With  those  beautiful  palms  waving  al- 
ways over  one's  head,  and  that  delicious  evening  air 
blowing  cool  through  their  branches !  It  looks  such  a 
Paradise !" 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  5 

Felix  smiled  and  glanced  down  at  her,  as  he  steadied 
himself  with  one  hand  against  the  bulwark,  while  the 
ship  rolled  over  into  the  trough  of  the  sea  heavily. 
"Well,  I  don't  know  about  that,  Miss  Ellis,"  he  an- 
swered with  a  doubtful  air,  eying  her  close  as  he  spoke 
with  eyes  of  evident  admiration.  "  One  might  be  hap- 
py anywhere,  of  course — in  suitable  society  ;  but  if 
you'd  lived  as  long  among  cocoanuts  in  Fiji  as  I  have, 
I  dare  say  the  poetry  of  these  calm  palm-grove  islands 
would  be  a  little  less  real  to  you.  Remember,  though 
they  look  so  beautiful  and  dreamy  against  the  sky  like 
that,  at  sunset  especially  (that  was  a  heavy  one,  that 
time ;  I'm  really  afraid  we  must  go  down  to  the 
cabin  soon ;  she'll  be  shipping  seas  before  long  if  we 
stop  on  deck  much  later — and  yet,  it's  so  delightful 
stopping  up  here  till  the  dusk  comes  on,  isn't  it  ?) — well, 
remember,  I  was  saying,  though  they  look  so  beautiful 
and  dreamy  and  poetical — '  Summer  isles  of  Eden  ly- 
ing in  dark  purple  spheres  of  sea,'  and  all  that  sort  of 
thing — these  islands  are  inhabited  by  the  fiercest  and 
most  bloodthirsty  cannibals  known  to  travellers." 

"Cannibals!"  Muriel  repeated,  looking  up  at  him  in 
surprise.  "  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  islands  like 
these,  standing  right  in  the  very  track  of  European 
steamers,  are  still  heathen  and  cannibal  ?" 

"  Oh,  dear,  yes,"  Felix  replied,  holding  his  hand  out 
as  he  spoke  to  catch  his  companion's  arm  gently,  and 
steady  her  against  the  wave  that  was  just  going  to 
strike  the  stern  : — "  Excuse  me ;  just  so ;  the  sea's  ris- 
ing fast,  isn't  it? — Oh,  dear,  yes;  of  course  they  are; 
they're  all  heathen  and  cannibals.  You  couldn't  im- 
agine to  yourself  the  horrible  bloodthirsty  rites  that 


i,  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

may  this  very  ruinate  be  taking  place  upon  that  idyllic- 
looking  island,  under  the  soft  waving  branches  of  those 
whispering  palm-trees.  "Why,  I  knew  a  man  in  the 
Marquesas  myself — a  hideous  old  native,  as  ugly  as  you 
can  fancy  him — who  was  supposed  to  be  a  god,  an  in- 
carnate god,  and  was  worshipped  accordingly  with  pro- 
found devotion  by  all  the  other  islanders.  You  can't 
picture  to  yourself  how  awful  their  worship  was.  I 
daren't  even  repeat  it  to  you  ;  it  was  too,  too  horrible. 
He  lived  in  a  hut  by  himself  among  the  deepest  forest, 
and  human  victims  used  to  be  brought — well,  there, 
it's  too  loathsome !  Why,  see ;  there's  a  great  light  on 
the  island  now  ;  a  big  bonfire  or  something;  don't  you 
make  it  out  ?  You  can  tell  it  by  the  red  glare  in  the 
sky  overhead."  He  paused  a  moment ;  then  he  added 
more  slowly,  "  I  shouldn't  be  surprised  if  at  this  very 
moment,  while  we're  standing  here  in  such  perfect  se- 
curity on  the  deck  of  a  Christian  English  vessel,  some 
unspeakable  and  unthinkable  heathen  orgy  mayn't  be 
going  on  over  there  beside  that  sacrificial  fire;  and  if 
some  poor  trembling  native  girl  isn't  being  led  just 
now,  with  blows  and  curses  and  awful  savage  cere- 
monies, her  hands  bound  behind  her  back —  Oh,  look 
out,  Miss  Ellis!" 

He  was  only  just  in  time  to  utter  the  warning  words. 
He  was  only  just  in  time  to  put  one  hand  on  each  side 
of  her  slender  waist,  and  hold  her  tight  so,  when  the 
big  wave  which  he  saw  coming  struck  full  tilt  against 
the  vessel's  flank,  and  broke  in  one  white  drenching 
sheet  of  foam  against  her  stern  and  quarter-deck. 

The  suddenness  of  the  assault  took  Felix's  breath 
away.     For  the  first  few  seconds  he  was  only  aware 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  7 

that  a  heavy  sea  had  been  shipped,  and  had  wet  him 
through  and  through  with  its  unexpected  deluge.     A 
moment  later,  he  was  dimly  conscious  that  his  com- 
panion had  slipped  from  his  grasp,  and  was  nowhere 
visible.     The  violence  of  the  shock,  and  the   slimy 
nature  of  the  sea-water,  had  made  him  relax  his  hold 
without  knowing  it,  in  the  tumult  of  the  moment,  and 
had  at  the  same  time  caused  Muriel  to  glide  impercep- 
tibly through  his  fingers,  as  he  had  often  known  an  ill- 
caught  cricket-ball  do   in   his  school-days.     Then  he 
saw  he  was  on  his  hands  and  knees  on  the  deck.     The 
wave  had  knocked  him  down,  and  dashed  him  against 
the  bulwark  on  the  leeward  side.     As  he  picked  him- 
self up,  wet,  bruised,  and  shaken,  he  looked  about  for 
Muriel.     A  terrible  dread  seized  upon  his  soul  at  once. 
Impossible!     Impossible!    she    couldn't    have    been 
washed  overboard ! 

And  even  as  he  gazed  about,  and  held  his  bruised 
elbow  in  his  hand,  and  wondered  to  himself  what  it 
could  all  mean,  that  sudden  loud  cry  arose  beside  him 
from  the  quarter-deck,  "  Man  overboard !  Man  over- 
board !"  followed  a  moment  later  by  the  answering  cry, 
from  the  men  who  were  smoking  under  the  lee  of  the 
companion,  "A  lady!  a  lady!     It's  Miss  Ellis!  Miss 

Ellis!" 

He  didn't  take  it  all  in.  He  didn't  reflect.  He 
didn't  eveu  know  he  was  actually  doing  it.  But  he 
did  it,  all  the  same,  with  the  simple,  straightforward, 
instinctive  sense  of  duty  which  makes  civilized  man  act 
aright,  all  unconsciously,  in  any  moment  of  supreme 
danger  and  difficulty.  Leaping  on  to  the  taffrail 
without  one  instant's  delay,  and  steadying  himself  for 


g  THE    GREAT    TABOO. 

an  indivisible  fraction  of  time  with  his  hand  on  the 
rope  ladder,  he  peered  out  into  the  darkness  with  keen 
eyes  for  a  glimpse  of  Muriel  Ellis's  head  above  the 
fierce  black  water ;  and  espying  it  for  one  second,  as 
she  came  up  on  a  white  crest,  he  plunged  in  before  the 
vessel  had  time  to  roll  back  to  windward,  and  struck  bold- 
ly out  in  the  direction  where  he  saw  that  helpless  object 
dashed  about  like  a  cork  on  the  surface  of  the  ocean. 
Only  those  who  have  known  such  accidents  at  sea 
can  possibly  picture  to  themselves  the  instantaneous 
haste  with  which  all  that  followed  took  place  upon 
that  bustling  quarter-deck.  Almost  at  the  first  cry  of 
"  Man  overboard !"  the  captain's  bell  rang  sharp  and 
quick,  as  if  by  magic,  with  three  peremptory  little 
calls  in  the  engine-room  below.  The  Australasian 
was  going  at  full  speed,  but  in  a  marvellously  short 
time,  as  it  seemed  to  all  on  board,  the  great  ship  had 
slowed  down  to  a  perfect  standstill,  and  then  had  re- 
versed her  engines,  so  that  she  lay,  just  nose  to  the 
wind,  awaiting  further  orders.  In  the  meantime,  al- 
most as  soon  as  the  words  were  out  of  the  bo'sun's 
lips,  a  sailor  amidships  had  rushed  to  the  safety  belts 
hung  up  by  the  companion  ladder,  and  had  flung  half 
a  dozen  of  them,  one  after  another,  with  hasty  but 
well-aimed  throws,  far,  far  astern,  in  the  direction 
where  Felix  had  disappeared  into  the  black  water. 
The  belts  were  painted  white,  and  they  showed  for  a 
few  seconds,  as  they  fell,  like  bright  specks  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  darkling  sea ;  then  they  sunk  slowly  be- 
hind as  the  big  ship,  still  not  quite  stopped,  ploughed 
her  way  ahead  with  gigantic  force  into  the  great  abyss 
of  darkness  in  front  of  her. 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  9 

It  seemed  but  a  minute,  too,  to  the  watchers  on 
board,  before  a  party  of  sailors,  summoned  by  the 
whistle  with  that  marvellous  readiness  to  meet  any 
emergency  which  long  experience  of  sudden  danger  has 
rendered  habitual  among  seafaring  men,  had  lowered 
the  boat,  and  taken  their  seats  on  the  thwarts,  and 
seized  their  oars,  and  were  getting  under  way  on 
their  hopeless  quest  of  search,  through  the  dim  black 
night,  for  those  two  belated  souls  alone  in  the  midst  of 
the  angry  Pacific. 

It  seemed  but  a  minute  or  two,  I  say,  to  the  watch- 
ers on  board  ;  but  oh,  what  an  eternity  of  time  to  Felix 
Thurstan,  struggling  there  with  his  live  burden  in  the 
seething  water ! 

He  had  dashed  into  the  ocean,  which  was  dark,  but 
warm  with  tropical  heat,  and  had  succeeded,  in  spite 
of  the  heavy  seas  then  running,  in  reaching  Muriel, 
who  clung  to  him  now  with  all  the  fierce  clinging  of 
despair,  and  impeded  his  movement  through  that 
swirling  water.  More  than  that,  he  saw  the  white  life- 
belts that  the  sailors  flung  towards  him ;  they  were  well 
and  aptly  flung,  in  the  inspiration  of  the  moment,  to 
allow  for  the  sea  itself  carrying  them  on  the  crest  of 
its  waves  towards  the  two  drowning  creatures.  Felix 
saw  them  distinctly,  and  making  a  great  lunge  as  they 
passed,  in  spite  of  Muriel's  struggles,  which  sadly  ham- 
pered his  movements,  he  managed  to  clutch  at  no  less 
than  three  before  the  great  billow,  rolling  on,  carried 
them  off  on  its  top  forever  away  from  him.  Two  of 
these  he  slipped  hastily  over  Muriel's  shoulders;  the 
other  he  put,  as  best  he  might,  round  his  own  waist ; 
and  then,  for  the  first  time,  still  clinging  close  to  his 


10  THE    CHEAT    TABOO. 

companion's  arm,  and  buffeted  about  wildly  by  that 
running  sea,  he  was  able  to  look  about  him  in  alarm 
for  a  moment,  and  realize  more  or  less  what  had  act- 
ually happened. 

By  this  time  the  Australasian  was  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  away  in  front  of  them,  and  her  lights  were  begin- 
ning to  become  stationary  as  she  slowly  slowed  and  re- 
versed engines.  Then,  from  the  summit  of  a  great 
wave,  Felix  was  dimly  aware  of  a  boat  being  lowered 
— for  he  saw  a  separate  light  gleaming  across  the  sea — 
a  search  was  being  made  in  the  black  night,  alas,  how 
hopelessly  !  The  light  hovered  about  for  many,  many 
minutes,  revealed  to  him  now  here,  now  there,  search- 
ing in  vain  to  find  him,  as  wave  after  wave  raised  him 
time  and  again  on  its  irresistible  summit.  The  men  in 
the  boat  were  doing  their  best,  no  doubt;  but  what 
chance  of  finding  any  one  on  a  dark  night  like  that,  in 
an  angry  sea,  and  with  no  clue  to  guide  them  towards 
the  two  struggling  castaways  %  Current  and  wind  had 
things  all  their  own  way.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
light  never  came  near  the  castaways  at  all ;  and  after 
half  an  hour's  ineffectual  search,  which  seemed  to  Felix 
a  whole  long  lifetime,  it  returned  slowly  towards  the 
steamer  from  which  it  came — aud  left  those  two  alone 
on  the  dark  Pacific. 

"  There  wasn't  a  chance  of  picking  'em  up,''  the  cap- 
tain said,  with  philosophic  calm,  as  the  men  clambered 
on  board  again,  and  the  Australasian  got  under  way 
once  more  for  the  port  of  Honolulu.  "  I  knew  there 
wasn't  a  chance ;  but  in  common  humanity  one  was 
bound  to  make  some  show  of  trying  to  save  'em.  He 
was  a  brave  fellow  to  go  after  her,  though  it  was  no 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  H 

good,  of  course.     He  couldn't  even  find  her,  at  night, 
and  with  such  a  sea  as  that  running." 

And  even  as  he  spoke,  Felix  Thurstan,  rising  once 
more  on  the  crest  of  a  much  smaller  billow — for  some- 
how the  waves  were  getting  incredibly  smaller  as  he 
drifted  on  to  leeward — felt  his  heart  sink  within  him 
as  he  observed  to  his  dismay  that  the  Atistralasian 
must  be  steaming  ahead  once  more,  by  the  movement 
of  her  lights,  and  that  they  two  were  indeed  abandoned 
to  their  fate  on  the  open  surface  of  that  vast  and  track- 
less ocean. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE   TEMPLE    OF    THE    DEITY. 

"While  these  things  were  happening  on  the  sea  close 
by,  a  very  different  scene  indeed  was  being  enacted 
meanwhile,  beneath  those  waving  palms,  on  the  island 
of  Boupari.  It  was  strange,  to  be  sure,  as  Felix  Thur- 
stan had  said,  that  such  unspeakable  heathen  orgies 
should  be  taking  place  within  sight  of  a  passing  Chris- 
tian English  steamer.  But  if  only  he  had  known  or  re- 
flected to  what  sort  of  land  he  was  trying  now  to  strug- 
gle ashore  with  Muriel,  he  might  well  have  doubted 
whether  it  were  not  better  to  let  her  perish  where  she 
was,  in  the  pure  clear  ocean,  rather  than  to  submit  an 
English  girl  to  the  possibility  of  undergoing  such  hor- 
rible heathen  rites  and  ceremonies. 

For  on  the  island  of  Boupari,  it  was  high  feast  with 
the  worshippers  of  their  god  that  night.  The  sun  had 
turned  on  the  Tropic  of  Capricorn  at  noon,  and  was 


12  THE  GREAT!   TABOO. 

making  his  way  northward,  towards  the  equator  once 
nn >re  ;  and  his  votaries,  as  was  their  wont,  had  all  come 
forth  to  do  him  honor  in  due  season,  and  to  pay  their 
respects,  in  the  inmost  and  sacredest  grove  on  the  isl- 
and, to  his  incarnate  representative,  the  living  spirit 
of  trees  and  fruits  and  vegetation,  the  very  high  god, 
the  divine  Tu-Kila-Kila ! 

Early  in  the  evening,  as  soon  as  the  sun's  rim  had 
disappeared  beneath  the  ocean,  a  strange  noise  boomed 
forth  from  the  central  shrine  of  Boupari.  Those  who 
heard  it  clapped  their  hands  to  their  ears  and  ran 
hastily  forward.  It  was  a  noise  like  distant  rumbling 
thunder,  or  the  whir  of  some  great  English  mill  or 
factory ;  and  at  its  sound  every  woman  on  the  island 
threw  herself  on  the  ground  prostrate,  with  her  face  in 
the  dust,  and  waited  there  reverently  till  the  audible 
voice  of  the  god  had  once  more  subsided.  For  no 
woman  knew  how  that  sound  was  produced.  Only  the 
grown  men,  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  the  shrine 
when  they  came  of  age  at  the  tattooing  ceremony, 
were  aware  that  the  strange  buzzing,  whirring  noise 
was  nothing  more  or  less  than  the  cry  of  the  bull- 
roarer. 

A  bull-roarer,  as  many  English  schoolboys  know,  is 
merely  a  piece  of  oblong  wood,  pointed  at  either  end, 
and  fastened  by  a  leather  thong  at  one  corner.  But 
when  whirled  round  the  head  by  practised  priestly 
hands,  it  produces  a  low  rumbling  noise  like  the  wheels 
of  a  distant  carriage,  growing  gradually  louder  and 
clearer,  from  moment  to  moment,  till  at  last  it  waxes 
itself  into  a  frightful  din,  or  bursts  into  perfect  peals 
of  imitation  thunder.     Then  it  decreases  a°:ain  once 


THE  GREAT  TABOO.  J3 

more,  as  gradually  as  it  rose,  becoming  fainter  and  ever 
fainter,  like  thunder  as  it  recedes,  till  the  horrible  bel- 
lowing, as  of  supernatural  bulls,  dies  away  in  the  end, 
by  slow  degrees,  into  low  and  soft  and  imperceptible 
murmurs. 

But  when  the  savage  hears  the  distant  humming  of 
the  bull-roarer,  at  whatever  distance,  he  knows  that 
the  mysteries  of  his  god  are  in  full  swing,  and  he  hur- 
ries forward  in  haste,  leaving  his  work  or  his  pleasure, 
and  running,  naked  as  he  stands,  to  take  his  share  in 
the  worship,  lest  the  anger  of  heaven  should  burst  forth 
in  devouring  flames  to  consume  him.  But  the  women, 
knowing  themselves  unworthy  to  face  the  dread  pres- 
ence of  the  high  god  in  his  wrath,  rush  wildly  from 
the  spot,  and,  flinging  themselves  down  at  full  length, 
with  their  mouths  to  the  dust,  wait  patiently  till  the 
voice  of  their  deity  is  no  longer  audible. 

And  as  the  bull-roarer  on  Boupari  rang  out  with 
wild  echoes  from  the  coral  caverns  in  the  central  grove 
that  evening,  Tu-Kila-Kila,  their  god,  rose  slowly  from 
his  place,  and  stood  out  from  his  hut,  a  deity  revealed, 
before  his  reverential  worshippers. 

As  he  rose,  a  hushed  whisper  ran  wave-like  through 
the  dense  throng  of  dusky  forms  that  bent  low,  like 
corn  beneath  the  wind,  before  him,  "Tu-Kila-Kila 
rises  !  He  rises  to  speak  !  Hush  !  for  the  voice  of  the 
mighty  man-god !" 

The  god,  looking  around  him  superciliously  with  a 
cynical  air  of  contempt,  stood  forward  with  a  firm  and 
elastic  step  before  his  silent  worshippers.  He  was  a 
stalwart  savage,  in  the  very  prime  of  life,  tall,  lithe, 
and  active.     His  figure  was  that  of  a  man  well  used  to 


14  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

command;  but  his  face,  though  handsome,  was  visibly 
marked  by  every  external  sign  of  cruelty,  lust,  and  ex- 
treme bloodthirstiness.  One  might  have  said,  merely 
to  look  at  him,  he  was  a  being  debased  b}^  all  forms  of 
brutal  and  hateful  self-indulgence.  A  baleful  light 
burned  in  his  keen  gray  eyes.  His  lips  were  thick, 
full,  purple,  and  wistful. 

"My  people  may  look  upon  me,"  he  said,  in  a 
strangely  affable  voice,  standing  forward  and  smil- 
ing with  a  curious  half-cruel,  half-compassionate  smile 
upon  his  awestruck  followers.  "  On  every  day  of  the 
sun's  course  but  this,  none  save  the  ministers  dedicated 
to  the  service  of  Tu-Kila-Kila  dare  gaze  unhurt  upon 
his  sacred  person.  If  any  others  did,  the  light  from 
his  holy  eyes  would  wither  them  up,  and  the  glow  of 
his  glorious  countenance  would  scorch  them  to  ashes." 
He  raised  his  two  hands,  palm  outward,  in  front  of 
him.  "  So  all  the  year  round,"  he  went  on,  "  Tu-Kila- 
Kila,  who  loves  his  people,  and  sends  them  the  earlier 
and  the  later  rain  in  the  wet  season,  and  makes  their 
yams  and  their  taro  grow,  and  causes  his  sun  to  shine 
upon  them  freely — all  the  year  round  Tu-Kila-Kila, 
your  god,  sits  shut  up  in  his  own  house  among  the  skele- 
tons of  those  whom  he  has  killed  and  eaten,  or  walks  in 
his  walled  paddock,  where  his  bread-fruit  ripens  and 
his  plantains  spring — himself,  and  the  ministers  that 
his  tribesmen  have  given  him." 

At  the  sound  of  their  mystic  deity's  voice  the  sav- 
ages, bending  lower  still  till  their  foreheads  touched 
the  ground,  repeated  in  chorus,  to  the  clapping  of 
hands,  like  some  solemn  litany  :  "  Tu-Kila-Kila  speaks 
true.     Our  lord  is  merciful.     He  sends  down  his  show- 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  15 

ers  upon  our  crops  and  fields.  He  causes  his  sun  to 
shine  brightly  over  us.  He  makes  our  pigs  and  our 
slaves  bring  forth  their  increase.  Tu-Kila-Kila  is 
good.     His  people  praise  him." 

The  god  took  another  step  forward,  the  divine 
mantle  of  red  feathers  glowing  in  the  sunset  on  his 
dusky  shoulders,  and  smiled  once  more  that  hateful 
gracious  smile  of  his.  He  was  standing  near  the  open 
door  of  his  wattled  hut,  overshadowed  by  the  huge 
spreading  arms  of  a  gigantic  banyan-tree.  Through 
the  open  door  of  the  hut  it  wras  possible  to  catch  just  a 
passing  glimpse  of  an  awful  sight  within.  On  the 
beams  of  the  house,  and  on  the  boughs  of  the  tree  be- 
hind it,  human  skeletons,  half  covered  with  dry  flesh, 
hung  in  ghastly  array,  their  skulls  turned  down- 
ward. They  were  the  skeletons  of  the  victims  Tu- 
Kila-Kila,  their  prince,  had  slain  and  eaten ;  they 
were  the  trophies  of  the  cannibal  man-god's  hateful 
prowess. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  raised  his  right  hand  erect  and  spoke 
again.  "  I  am  a  great  god,"  he  said  slowly.  "  I  am 
very  powerful.  I  make  the  sun  to  shine,  and  the  yams 
to  grow.  I  am  the  spirit  of  plants.  Without  me 
there  would  be  nothing  for  you  all  to  eat  or  drink  in 
Boupari.  If  I  were  to  grow  old  and  die,  the  sun  would 
fade  away  in  the  heavens  overhead ;  the  bread-fruit 
trees  would  wither  and  cease  to  bear  on  earth ;  all 
fruits  would  come  to  an  end  and  die  at  once ;  all  rivers 
would  stop  forthwith  from  running." 

His  worshippers  bowed  down  in  acquiescence  with 
awestruck  faces.  "  It  is  true,"  they  answered,  in  the 
same  slow  sing-song  of  assent  as  before.     "  Tu-Kila- 


1G  THE   GREAT  TABOO. 

Kila  is  the  greatest  of  gods.  We  owe  to  him  every- 
thing.    "We  hang  upon  his  favor." 

Tn-Kila-Kila  started  back,  laughed,  and  showed  his 
pearly  white  teeth.  They  were  beautiful  and  regular, 
like  the  teeth  of  a  tiger,  a  strong  young  tiger.  "  But 
I  need  more  sacrifices  than  all  the  other  gods,"  he  went 
on,  melodiously,  like  one  who  plays  with  consummate 
skill  upon  some  difficult  instrument.  "  I  am  greedy  ; 
I  am  thirsty  ;  I  am  a  hungry  god.  You  must  not  stint 
me.  I  claim  more  human  victims  than  all  the  other 
gods  beside.  If  you  want  your  crops  to  grow  and 
your  rivers  to  run,  the  fields  to  yield  you  game,  and 
the  sea  fish — this  is  what  I  ask:  give  me  victims,  vic- 
tims !     That  is  our  compact.     Tu-Kila-Kila  calls  you." 

The  men  bowed  down  once  more  and  repeated  hum- 
bly, "  You  shall  have  victims  as  you  will,  great  god ; 
only  give  us  yam  and  taro  and  bread-fruit,  and  cause 
not  your  bright  light,  the  sun,  to  grow  dark  in  heaven 
over  us." 

"  Cut  yourselves,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  cried  in  a  peremp- 
tory voice,  clapping  his  hands  thrice.  "  I  am  thirsting 
for  blood.     I  want  your  free-will  offering." 

As  he  spoke,  every  man,  as  by  a  set  ritual,  took  from 
a  little  skin  wallet  at  his  side  a  sharp  flake  of  coral- 
stone,  and,  drawing  it  deliberately  across  his  breast  in 
a  deep  red  gash,  caused  the  blood  to  flow  out  freely  over 
his  chest  and  long  grass  waistband.  Then,  having  done 
so,  they  never  strove  for  a  moment  to  stanch  the 
wound,  but  let  the  red  drops  fall  as  they  would  on  to 
the  dust  at  their  feet,  without  seeming  even  to  be  con- 
scious at  all  of  the  fact  that  they  were  flowing. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  smiled  once  more,  a  ghastly  self-satis- 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  17 

fied  smile  of  unquestioned  power.  "  It  is  well,"  he 
went  on.  "My  people  love  me.  They  know  my 
strength,  how  I  can  wither  them  up.  They  give  me 
their  blood  to  drink  freely.  So  I  will  be  merciful  to 
them.  I  will  make  my  sun  shine  and  my  rain  drop 
from  heaven.  And  instead  of  taking  all,  I  will  choose 
one  victim."  He  paused,  and  glanced  along  their  line 
significantly. 

"  Choose,  Tu-Kila-Kila,"  the  men  answered,  with- 
out a  moment's  hesitation.  "We  are  all  your  meat. 
Choose  which  one  you  will  take  of  us." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  walked  with  a  leisurely  tread  down  the 
lines  and  surveyed  the  men  critically.  They  were  all 
drawn  up  in  rows,  one  behind  the  other,  according  to 
tribes  and  families;  and  the. god  walked  along  each 
row,  examining  them  with  a  curious  and  interested  eye, 
as  a  farmer  examines  sheep  fit  for  the  market.  Now 
and  then,  he  felt  a  leg  or  an  arm  with  his  finger  and 
thumb,  and  hesitated  a  second.  It  was  an  important 
matter,  this  choosing  a  victim.  As  he  passed,  a  close 
observer  might  have  noted  that  each  man  trembled 
visibly  while  the  god's  eye  was  upon  him,  and  looked 
after  him  askance  with  a  terrified  sidelong  gaze  as  he 
passed  on  to  his  neighbor.  But  not  one  savage  gave 
any  overt  sign  or  token  of  his  terror  or  his  reluctance. 
On  the  contrary,  as  Tu-Kila-Kila  passed  along  the  line 
with  lazy,  cruel  deliberateness,  the  men  kept  chanting 
aloud,  without  one  tremor  in  their  voices,  "  We  are  all 
your  meat.     Choose  which  one  you  will  take  of  us !" 

On  a  sudden,  Tu-Kila-Kila  turned  sharply  round, 
and,  darting  a  rapid  glance  towards  a  row  he  had  al- 
ready passed  several  minutes  before,  he  exclaimed  with 
2 


18  THE    GREAT   TABOO. 

an  air  of  unexpected  inspiration,  "  Tu-Kila-Kila  has 
chosen.     He  takes  Maloa." 

The  man  upon  whose  shoulder  the  god  laid  his  heavy 
hand  as  he  spoke  stood  forth  from  the  crowd  without 
a  moment's  hesitation.  If  anger  or  fear  was  in  his 
heart  at  all,  it  could  not  be  detected  in  his  voice  or  his 
features.  He  bowed  his  head  with  seeming  satisfac- 
tion, and  answered  humbly,  "What  Tu-Kila-Kila  says 
must  needs  be  done.  This  is  a  great  honor.  He  is  a 
mighty  god.  We  poor  men  must  obey  him.  We  are 
proud  to  be  taken  up  and  made  one  with  divinity." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  raised  in  his  hand  a  large  stone  axe  of 
some  polished  green  material,  closely  resembling  jade, 
which  lay  on  a  block  by  the  door,  and  tried  its  edge 
with  his  finger,  in  an  abstracted  manner.  "Bind  him !" 
he  said  quietly,  turning  round  to  his  votaries.  And 
the  men,  each  glad  to  have  escaped  his  own  fate,  bound 
their  comrade  willingly  with  green  ropes  of  plantain 
fibre. 

"  Crown  him  with  flowers !"  Tu-Kila-Kila  said ;  and 
a  female  attendant,  absolved  from  the  terror  of  the 
bull-roarer  by  the  god's  command,  brought  forward  a 
great  garland  of  crimson  hibiscus,  which  she  flung 
around  the  victim's  neck  and  shoulders. 

"  Lay  his  head  on  the  sacred  stone  block  of  our 
fathers,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  went  on,  in  an  easy  tone  of  com- 
mand, waving  his  hand  gracefully.  And  the  men, 
moving  forward,  laid  their  comrade,  face  downwards, 
on  a  huge  flat  block  of  polished  greenstone,  which  lay 
like  an  altar  in  front  of  the  hut  with  the  mouldering 
skeletons. 

"  It  is  well,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  murmured   once   more, 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  19 

half  aloud.  "  You  have  given  uie  the  free-will  offer- 
ing. Now  for  the  trespass !  Where  is  the  woman  who 
dared  to  approach  too  near  the  temple-home  of  the  di- 
vine Tu-Kila-Kila  ?     Bring  the  criminal  forward!" 

The  men  divided,  and  made  a  lane  down  their  mid- 
dle. Then  one  of  them,  a  minister  of  the  man-god's 
shrine,  led  up  by  the  hand,  all  trembling  and  shrinking 
with  supernatural  terror  in  every  muscle,  a  well-formed 
young  girl  of  eighteen  or  twenty.  Her  naked  bronze 
limbs  were  shapely  and  lissome  ;  but  her  eyes  were 
swollen  and  red  with  tears,  and  her  face  strongly  dis- 
torted with  awe  for  the  man-god.  When  she  stood  at 
last  before  Tu-Kila-Kila's  dreaded  face,  she  flung  her- 
self on  the  ground  in  an  agony  of  fear. 

"  Oh,  mercy,  great  god !"  she  cried,  in  a  feeble  voice. 
"  I  have  sinned,  I  have  sinned.     Mercy,  mercy  !" 

Tu-Kila-Kila  smiled  as  before,  a  smile  of  imperial 
pride.  No  ray  of  pity  gleamed  from  those  steel-gray 
eyes.  "  Does  Tu-Kila-Kila  show  mercy  ?"  he  asked,  in 
a  mocking  voice.  "  Does  he  pardon  his  suppliants  ? 
Does  he  forgive  trespasses  ?  Is  he  not  a  god,  and  must 
not  his  wrath  be  appeased  ?  She,  being  a  woman,  and 
not  a  wife  sealed  to  Tu-Kila-Kila,  has  dared  to  look 
from  afar  upon  his  sacred  home.  She  has  spied  the 
mysteries.  Therefore  she  must  die.  My  people,  bind 
her." 

In  a  second,  without  more  ado,  while  the  poor  trem- 
bling girl  writhed  and  groaned  in  her  agony  before 
their  eyes,  that  mob  of  wild  savages,  let  loose  to  tor- 
ture and  slay,  fell  upon  her  with  hideous  shouts,  and 
bound  her,  as  they  had  bound  their  comrade  before, 
with  coarse  native  ropes  of  twisted  plantain  fibre. 


20  THE   GREAT  TABOO. 

"  Lay  her  head  on  the  stone,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  said 
grimly.     And  his  votaries  obeyed  him. 

"Now  light  the  sacred  fire  to  make  our  feast,  before 
I  slay  the  victims,''  the  god  said,  in  a  gloating  voice, 
running  his  finger  again  along  the  edge  of  his  huge 
hatchet. 

As  he  spoke,  two  men,  holding  in  their  hands  hollow 
bamboos  with  coals  of  fire  concealed  within,  which 
they  kept  aglow  meanwhile  by  waving  them  up  and 
down  rapidly  in  the  air,  laid  these  primitive  matches 
to  the  base  of  a  great  pyramidal  pile  of  wood  and  palm- 
leaves,  ready  prepared  beforehand  in  the  yard  of  the 
temple.  In  a  second,  the  dry  fuel,  catching  the  sparks 
instantly,  blazed  up  to  heaven  with  a  wild  outburst  of 
flame.  Great  red  tongues  of  fire  licked  up  the  mould- 
ering mass  of  leaves  and  twigs,  and  caught  at  once  at 
the  trunks  of  palm  and  li-wood  within.  A  huge  con- 
flagration reddened  the  sky  at  once  like  lightning.  The 
effect  was  magical.  The  glow  transfigured  the  whole 
island  for  miles.  It  was,  in  fact,  the  blaze  that  Felix 
Thurstan  had  noted  and  remarked  upon  as  he  stood 
that  evening  on  the  silent  deck  of  the  Australasian. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  gazed  at  it  with  horrid  childish  glee. 
"A  fine  fire  I"  he  said  gayly.  "A  fire  worthy  of  a  god. 
It  will  serve  me  well.  Tu-Kila-Kila  will  have  a  good 
oven  to  roast  his  meal  in." 

Then  he  turned  towards  the  sea,  and  held  up  his  hand 
once  more  for  silence.  As  he  did  so,  an  answering 
light  upon  its  surface  attracted  his  eye  for  a  moment's 
space.  It  was  a  bright  red  light,  mixed  with  white 
and  green  ones;  in  point  of  fact,  the  Australasian  was 
passing.      Tu-Kila-Kila  pointed   towards   it   solemnly 


THE  GREAT  TABOO.  21 

with  his  plump,  brown  forefinger.  "  See,"  he  said, 
drawing  himself  up  and  looking  preternaturally  wise  ; 
"  your  god  is  great.  I  am  sending  some  of  this  fire 
across  the  sea  to  where  my  sun  has  set,  to  aid  and  re- 
inforce it.  That  is  to  keep  up  the  fire  of  the  sun,  lest 
ever  at  any  time  it  should  fade  and  fail  you.  While 
Tu-Kila-Kila  lives  the  sun  will  burn  bright.  If  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  were  to  die  it  would  be  night  forever." 

His  votaries,  following  their  god's  forefinger  as  it 
pointed,  all  turned  to  look  in  the  direction  he  indicated 
with  blank  surprise  and  astonishment.  Such  a  sight 
had  never  met  their  eyes  before,  for  the  Australasian 
was  the  very  first  steamer  to  take  the  eastward  route, 
through  the  dangerous  and  tortuous  Boupari  Channel. 
So  their  awe  and  surprise  at  the  unwonted  sight  knew 
no  bounds.  Fire  on  the  ocean  !  Miraculous  light  on 
the  waves !  Their  god  must,  indeed,  be  a  mighty  deity 
if  he  could  send  flames  like  that  careering  over  the 
sea !  Surely  the  sun  was  safe  in  the  hands  of  a  poten- 
tate who  could  thus  visibly  reinforce  it  with  red  light, 
and  white !  In  their  astonishment  and  awe,  they  stood 
with  their  long  hair  falling  down  over  their  foreheads, 
and  their  hands  held  up  to  their  eyes  that  they  might 
gaze  the  farther  across  the  dim,  dark  ocean.  The  bor- 
rowed light  of  their  bonfire  was  moving,  slowly  mov- 
ing over  the  watery  sea.  Fire  and  water  were  mixing 
and  mingling  on  friendly  terms.  Impossible !  In- 
credible! Marvellous!  Miraculous!  They  prostrated 
themselves  in  their  terror  at  Tu-Kila-Kila's  feet.  "  Oh, 
great  god,"  they  cried,  in  awestruck  tones,  "  your 
power  is  too  vast !     Spare  us,  spare  us,  spare  us !" 

As  for  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself,  he  was  not  astonished 


22  THE   (J HEAT  TABOO. 

at  all.  Strange  as  it  sounds  to  us,  he  really  believed 
in  his  heart  what  he  said.  Profoundly  convinced  of 
his  own  godhead,  and  abjectly  superstitious  as  any  of 
his  own  votaries,  he  absolutely  accepted  as  a  fact  his 
own  suggestion,  that  the  light  he  saw  was  the  reflec- 
tion of  that  his  men  had  kindled.  The  interpretation 
he  had  put  upon  it  seemed  to  him  a  perfectly  natural 
and  just  one.  His  worshippers,  indeed,  mere  men  that 
they  were,  might  be  terrified  at  the  sight;  but  why 
should  he,  a  god,  take  any  special  notice  of  it  ? 

He  accepted  his  own  superiority  as  implicitly  as  our 
European  nobles  and  rulers  accept  theirs.  He  had  no 
doubts  himself,  and  he  considered  those  who  had  little 
better  than  criminals. 

By-and-by,  a  smaller  light  detached  itself  by  slow 
degrees  from  the  greater  ones.  The  others  stood  still, 
and  halted  in  mid-ocean.  The  lesser  light  made  as  if 
it  would  come  in  the  direction  of  Boupari.  In  point 
of  fact,  the  gig  had  put  out  in  search  of  Felix  and 
Muriel. 

Tu-Ivila-Kila  interpreted  the  facts  at  once,  however, 
in  his  own  way.  "  See,"  he  said,  pointing  with  his 
plump  forefinger  once  more,  and  encouraging  with  his 
words  his  terrified  followers,  "  I  am  sending  back  a 
light  again  from  the  sun  to  my  island.  I  am  doing  my 
work  well.  I  am  taking  care  of  my  people.  Fear  not 
for  your  future.  In  the  light  is  yet  another  victim. 
A  man  and  a  woman  will  come  to  Bon  pari  from  the 
sun,  to  make  up  for  the  man  and  woman  whom  we  eat 
in  our  feast  to-night.  Give  me  plenty  of  victims,  and 
you  will  have  plenty  of  yam.  Make  haste,  then  ;  kill, 
eat ;  let  us  feast  Tu-Kila-Kila !     To-morrow  the  man 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  23 

and  woman  I  have  sent  from  the  sun  will  come  ashore 
on  the  reef,  and  reach  Boupari." 

At  the  words,  he  stepped  forward  and  raised  that 
heavy  tomahawk.  With  one  blow  each  he  brained  the 
two  bound  and  defenceless  victims  on  the  altar-stone 
of  his  fathers.  The  rest,  a  European  hand  shrinks 
from  revealing.  The  orgy  was  too  horrible  even  for 
description. 

And  that  was  the  land  towards  which,  that  moment, 
Felix  Thurstan  was  struggling,  with  all  his  might,  to 
carry  Muriel  Ellis,  from  the  myriad  clasping  arms  of  a 
comparatively  gentle  and  merciful  ocean  ! 


CHAPTER  III. 

LAND:    BUT  WHAT  LAND? 


As  the  last  glimmering  lights  of  the  Australasian 
died  away  to  seaward,  Felix  Thurstan  knew  in  his  de- 
spair there  was  nothing  for  it  now  but  to  strike  out 
boldly,  if  he  could,  for  the  shore  of  the  island. 

By  this  time  the  breakers  had  subsided  greatly. 
Not,  indeed,  that  the  sea  itself  was  really  going  down. 
On  the  contrary,  a  brisk  wind  was  rising  sharper  from 
the  east,  and  the  waves  on  the  open  Pacific  were  grow- 
ing each  moment  higher  and  loppier.  But  the  huge 
mountain  of  water  that  washed  Muriel  Ellis  overboard 
was  not  a  regular  ordinary  wave ;  it  was  that  far  more 
powerful  and  dangerous  mass,  a  shoal- water  breaker. 
The  Australasian  had  passed  at  that  instant  over  a 
submerged  coral-bar,  quite  deep  enough,  indeed,  to  let 


24  THE    GREAT    TABOO. 

her  cross  its  top  without  the  slightest  danger  of  graz- 
ing, but  still  raised  so  high  towards  the  surface  as  to 
produce  a  considerable  constant  ground-swell,  which 
broke  in  windy  weather  into  huge  sheets  of  surf,  like 
the  one  that  had  just  struck  and  washed  over  the  Aus- 
tralasian, carrying  Muriel  with  it.  The  very  same 
cause  that  produced  the  breakers,  however,  bore  Felix 
on  their  summit  rapidly  landward ;  and  once  he  had 
got  well  beyond  the  region  of  the  bar  that  begot  them, 
he  found  himself  soon,  to  his  intense  relief,  in  com- 
paratively calm  shoal  water. 

Muriel  Ellis,  for  her  part,  was  faint  with  terror  and 
with  the  buffeting  of  the  waves;  but  she  still  floated 
by  his  side,  upheld  by  the  life-belts.  He  had  been 
able,  by  immense  efforts,  to  keep  unseparated  from  her 
amid  the  rending  surf  of  the  breakers.  Now  that 
they  found  themselves  in  easier  waters  for  a  while, 
Felix  began  to  strike  out  vigorously  through  the  dark- 
ness for  the  shore.  Holding  up  his  companion  with 
one  hand,  and  swimming  with  all  his  might  in  the  di- 
rection where  a  vague  white  line  of  surf,  lit  up  by  the 
red  glare  of  some  fire  far  inland,  made  him  suspect  the 
nearest  land  to  lie,  he  almost  thought  he  had  succeeded 
at  last,  after  a  long  hour  of  struggle,  in  feeling  his  feet, 
after  all,  on  a  firm  coral  bottom. 

At  the  very  moment  he  did  so,  and  touched  the 
ground  underneath,  another  great  wave,  curling  re- 
sistlessly  behind  him,  caught  him  up  on  its  crest, 
whirled  him  heavenward  like  a  cork,  and  then  dashed 
him  down  once  more,  a  passive  burden,  on  some  soft 
and  yielding  substance,  which  he  conjectured  at  once 
to  be  a  beach  of  finely  powdered  coral  fragments.     As 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  25 

he  touched  this  beach  for  an  instant,  the  undertow  of 
that  vast  dashing  breaker  sucked  him  back  with  its  ebb 
again,  a  helpless,  breathless  creature;  and  then  the  suc- 
ceeding wave  rolled  him  over  like  a  ball,  upon  the 
beach  as  before,  in  quick  succession.  Four  times  the 
back-current  sucked  him  under  with  its  wild  pull  in  the 
selfsame  way,  and  four  times  the  return  wave  flung 
him  up  upon  the  beach  again  like  a  fragment  of  sea- 
weed. With  frantic  efforts  Felix  tried  at  first  to  cling 
still  to  Muriel — to  save  her  from  the  irresistible  force 
of  that  roaring  surf — to  snatch  her  from  the  open  jaws 
of  death  by  sheer  struggling  dint  of  thews  and  muscle. 
He  might  as  well  have  tried  to  stem  Niagara.  The 
great  waves,  curling  irresistibly  in  huge  curves  land- 
ward, caught  either  of  them  up  by  turns  on  their 
arched  summits,  and  twisted  them  about  remorselessly, 
raising  them  now  aloft  on  their  foaming  crest,  beating 
them  back  now  prone  in  their  hollow  trough,  and 
flinging  them  fiercely  at  last  with  pitiless  energy 
against  the  soft  beach  of  coral.  If  the  beach  had  been 
hard,  they  must  infallibly  have  been  ground  to  powder 
or  beaten  to  jelly  by  the  colossal  force  of  those  gigantic 
blows.  Fortunately  it  was  yielding,  smooth,  and  clay- 
like, and  received  them  almost  as  a  layer  of  moist 
plaster  of  Paris  might  have  done,  or  they  would  have 
stood  no  chance  at  all  for  their  lives  in  that  desperate 
battle  with  the  blind  and  frantic  forces  of  unrelenting 
nature. 

No  man  who  has  not  himself  seen  the  surf  break  on 
one  of  these  far-southern  coral  shores  can  form  any 
idea  in  his  own  mind  of  the  terror  and  horror  of  the 
situation.     The  water,  as  it  reaches  the  beach,  rears  it- 


26  THE    GREAT    TABOO. 

self  aloft  for  a  second  into  a  huge  upright  wall,  which, 
advancing  slowly,  curls  over  at  last  in  a  hollow  circle, 
and  pounds  down  upon  the  sand  or  reef  with  all  the 
crushing  force  of  some  enormous  sledge-hammer.  But 
after  the  fourth  assault,  Felix  felt  himself  flung  up 
high  and  dry  by  the  wave,  as  one  may  sometimes  see 
a  bit  of  light  reed  or  pith  flung  up  some  distance 
ahead  by  an  advancing  tide  on  the  beach  in  England. 
In  an  instant  he  steadied  himself  and  staggered  to  his 
feet.  Torn  and  bruised  as  he  was  by  the  pummelling 
of  the  billows,  he  looked  eagerly  into  the  water  in 
search  of  his  companion.  The  next  wave  flung  up 
Muriel,  as  the  last  had  flung  himself.  He  bent  over 
her  with  a  panting  heart  as  she  lay  there,  insensible, 
on  the  long  white  shore.  Alive  or  dead  ?  that  was  now 
the  question. 

Raising  her  hastily  in  his  arms,  with  her  clothes  all 
clinging  wet  and  close  about  her,  Felix  carried  her 
over  the  narrow  strip  of  tidal  beach,  above  high-water 
level,  and  laid  her  gently  down  on  a  soft  green  bank 
of  short  tropical  herbage,  close  to  the  edge  of  the  coral. 
Then  he  bent  over  her  once  more,  and  listened  eagerly 
at  her  heart.  It  still  beat  with  faint  pulses — beat — 
beat — beat.  Felix  throbbed  with  joy.  She  was  alive! 
alive !  He  was  not  quite  alone,  then,  on  that  unknown 
island ! 

And  strange  as  it  seemed,  it  was  only  a  little  more 
than  two  short  hours  since  they  had  stood  and  looked 
out  across  the  open  sea  over  the  bulwarks  of  the  Aus- 
tralasian together ! 

But  Felix  had  no  time  to  moralize  just  then.  The 
moment  was  clearly  one  for  action.     Fortunately,  he 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  27 

happened  to  carry  three  useful  things  in  his  pocket 
when  he  jumped  overboard  after  Muriel.  The  first 
was  a  pocket-knife ;  the  second  was  a  flask  with  a  lit- 
tle whiskey  in  it ;  and  the  third,  perhaps  the  most  im- 
portant of  all,  a  small  metal  box  of  wax  vesta  matches. 
Pouring  a  little  whiskey  into  the  cup  of  the  flask,  he 
held  it  eagerly  to  Muriel's  lips.  The  fainting  girl 
swallowed  it  automatically.  Then  Felix,  stooping 
down,  tried  the  matches  against  the  box.  They  .were 
unfortunately  wet,  but  half  an  hour's  exposure,  he 
knew,  on  sun-warmed  stones,  in  that  hot,  tropical  air, 
would  soon  restore  them  again.  So  he  opened  the  box 
and  laid  them  carefully  out  on  a  flat  white  slab  of 
coral.  After  that,  he  had  time  so  consider  exactly 
where  they  were,  and  what  their  chances  in  life,  if  any, 
might  now  amount  to. 

Pitch  dark  as  it  was,  he  had  no  difficulty  in  decid- 
ing at  once  by  the  general  look  of  things  that  they  had 
reached  a  fringing  reef,  such  as  he  was  already  familiar 
with  in  the  Marquesas  and  elsewhere.  The  reef  was 
no  doubt  circular,  and  it  enclosed  within  itself  a  second 
or  central  island,  divided  from  it  by  a  shallow  lagoon 
of  calm,  still  water.  He  walked  some  yards  inland. 
From  where  he  now  stood,  on  the  summit  of  the  ridge, 
he  could  look  either  way,  and  by  the  faint  reflected 
light  of  the  stars,  or  the  glare  of  the  great  pyre  that 
burned  on  the  central  island,  he  could  see  down  on 
one  side  to  the  ocean,  with  its  fierce  white  pounding 
surf,  and  on  the  other  to  the  lagoon,  reflecting  the  stars 
overhead,  and  motionless  as  a  mill-pond.  Between 
them  lay  the  low  raised  ridge  of  coral,  covered  with 
tall  stems  of  cocoanut  palms,  and  interspersed  here  and 


28  TJJE   GREAT   TABOO. 

there,  as  far  as  bis  eye  could  judge,  with  little  rectan- 
gular clumps  of  plantain  and  taro. 

But  what  alarmed  Felix  most  was  the  fire  that 
blazed  so  brightly  to  heaven  on  the  central  island ;  for 
he  knew  too  well  that  meant — there  were  men  on  the 
place  ;  the  land  was  inhabited. 

The  cocoanuts  and  taro  told  the  same  doubtful 
tale.  From  the  way  they  grew,  even  in  that  dim 
starlight,  Felix  recognized  at  once  they  had  all  been 
planted. 

Still,  he  didn't  hesitate  to  do  what  he  thought  best 
for  Muriel's  relief  for  all  that.  Collecting  a  few  sticks 
and  fragments  of  palm-branches  from  the  jungle  about, 
he  piled  them  into  a  heap,  and  waited  patiently  for  his 
matches  to  dry.  As  soon  as  they  were  ready — and  the 
warmth  of  the  stone  made  them  quickly  inflammable 
— he  struck  a  match  on  the  box,  and  proceeded  to  light 
his  fire  by  Muriel's  side.  As  her  clothes  grew  warmer, 
the  poor  girl  opened  her  eyes  at  last,  and,  gazing  around 
her,  exclaimed  in  blank  terror,  "Oh,  Mr.  Thurstan, 
where  are  we?  What  does  all  this  mean?  Where 
have  we  got  to  ?     On  a  desert  island  ?" 

"  No,  not  on  a  desert  island,"  Felix  answered  shortly ; 
"I'm  afraid  it's  a  great  deal  worse  than  that.  To  tell 
you  the  truth,  I'm  afraid  it's  inhabited." 

At  that  moment,  by  the  hot  embers  of  the  great 
sacrificial  pyre  on  the  central  hill,  two  of  the  savage 
temple-attendants,  calling  their  god's  attention  to  a 
sudden  blaze  of  flame  upon  the  fringing  reef,  pointed 
with  their  dark  forefingers  and  called  out  in  surprise, 
"  See,  see,  a  fire  on  the  barrier !     A  fire !     A  fire  ! 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  29 

What  can  it  mean?  There  are  no  men  of  our  people 
over  there  to-night.  Have  war-canoes  arrived  ?  Has 
some  enemy  landed?" 

Tu-Kila-Kila  leaned  back,  drained  his  cocoanut  cup  of 
intoxicating  kava,  and  surveyed  the  unwonted  appari- 
tion on  the  reef  long  and  carefully.  "  It  is  nothing," 
he  said  at  last,  in  his  most  deliberate  manner,  stroking 
his  cheeks  and  chin  contentedly  with  that  plump  round 
hand  of  his.  "It  is  only  the  victims;  the  new  victims 
I  promised  you.  Korong!  Korong!  They  have  come 
ashore  with  their  light  from  my  home  in  the  sun. 
They  have  brought  fire  afresh — holy  fire  to  Boupari." 

Three  or  four  of  the  savages  leaped  up  in  fierce  joy, 
and  bowed  before  him  as  he  spoke,  with  eager  faces. 
"  Oh,  Tu-Kila-Kila !"  the  eldest  among  them  said,  mak- 
ing a  profound  reverence,  "  shall  we  swim  across  to  the 
reef  and  fetch  them  home  to  your  house  ?  Shall  we 
take  over  our  canoes  and  bring  back  your  victims  ?" 

The  god  motioned  them  back  with  one  outstretched 
palm.  His  eyes  were  flushed  and  his  look  lazy.  "Not 
to-night,  my  people,"  he  said,  readjusting  the  garland 
of  flowers  round  his  neck,  and  giving  a  careless  glance 
at  the  well-picked  bones  that  a  few  hours  before  had 
been  two  trembling  fellow-creatures.  "  Tu-Kila-Kila 
has  feasted  his  fill  for  this  evening.  Your  god  is  full ; 
his  heart  is  happy.  I  have  eaten  human  flesh  ;  I  have 
drunk  of  the  juice  of  the  kava.  Am  I  not  a  great 
deity  ?  Can  I  not  do  as  I  will  ?  I  frown,  and  the 
heavens  thunder;  I  gnash  my  teeth,  and  the  earth 
trembles.  What  is  it  to  me  if  fresh  victims  come,  or 
if  they  come  not  ?  Can  I  not  make  with  a  nod  as 
many  as  I  will  of  them?"     He  took  up  two  fresh 


30  THE  GREAT  TABOO. 

finger-bones,  clean  gnawed  of  their  flesh,  and  knocked 
them  together  in  a  wild  tune,  carelessly.  "  If  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  chooses,"  he  went  on,  tapping  his  chest  with  con- 
scious pride,  t(  he  can  knock  these  bones  together — so 
— and  bid  them  live  again.  Is  it  not  I  who  cause 
women  and  beasts  to  bring  forth  their  young?  Is  it 
not  I  who  give  the  turtles  their  increase?  And  is  it 
not  a  small  thing  to  me,  therefore,  whether  the  sea 
tosses  up  my  victims  from  my  home  in  the  sun,  or 
whether  it  does  not?  Let  us  leave  them  alone  on  the 
reef  for  to-night;  to-morrow  we  will  send  over  our 
canoes  to  fetch  them." 

It  was  all  pure  brag,  all  pure  guesswork ;  and  yet, 
Tu-Kila-Kila  himself  profoundly  believed  it. 

As  he  spoke,  the  light  from  Felix's  fire  blazed  out 
against  the  dark  sky,  stronger  and  clearer  still ;  and 
through  that  cloudless  tropical  air  the  figure  of  a  man, 
standing  for  one  moment  between  the  flames  and  the 
lagoon,  became  distinctly  visible  to  the  keen  and  prac- 
tised eyes  of  the  savages.  "  I  see  them  ;  I  see  them  ; 
I  see  the  victims!"  the  foremost  worshipper  exclaimed, 
rushing  forward  a  little  at  the  sight,  and  beside  him- 
self with  superstitious  awe  and  surprise  at  Tu-Kila- 
Kila's  presence.  "  Surely  our  god  is  great !  He  knows 
all  things !  He  brings  us  meat  from  the  setting  sun, 
in  ships  of  fire,  in  blazing  canoes,  across  the  golden 
road  of  the  sun-bathed  ocean  !" 

As  for  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself,  leaning  on  his  elbow  at 
ease,  he  gazed  across  at  the  unexpected  sight  with  very 
languid  interest.  He  was  a  god,  and  he  liked  to  see 
things  conducted  with  proper  decorum.  This  crowing 
and  crying  over  a  couple  of  spirits — mere  ordinary 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  3] 

spirits — come  ashore  from  the  sun  in  a  fiery  boat- 
struck  his  godship  as  little  short  of  childish.  "Let 
them  be,"  he  answered  petulantly,  crushing  a  blossom 
in  his  hand.  "  Let  no  man  disturb  them.  They  shall 
rest  where  they  are  till  to-morrow  morning.  We  have 
eaten  ;  we  have  drunk  ;  our  soul  is  happy.  The  kava 
within  us  has  made  us  like  a  god  indeed.  I  shall  give 
my  ministers  charge  that  no  harm  happen  to  them." 

He  drew  a  whistle  from  his  side  and  whistled  once. 
There  was  a  moment's  pause.  Then  Tu-Kila-Kila 
spoke  in  a  loud  voice  again.  "  The  King  of  Fire!"  he 
exclaimed,  in  tones  of  princely  authority. 

From  within  the  hut  there  came  forth  slowly  a  sec- 
ond stalwart  savage,  big  built  and  burly  as  the  great  god 
himself,  clad  in  a  long  robe  or  cloak  of  yellow  feathers, 
which  shone  bright  with  a  strange  metallic  gleam  in 
the  ruddy  light  of  the  huge  pile  of  li-wood. 

"  The  King  of  Fire  is  here,  Tu-Kila-Kila,"  the  lesser 
god  made  answer,  bending  his  head  slightly. 

"Fire,"  Tu-Kila-Kila 'said,  like  a  monarch  giving 
orders  to  his  attendant  minister,  "'if  any  man  touch 
the  new-comers  on  the  reef  before  I  cause  my  sun  to 
rise  to-morrow  morning,  scorch  up  his  flesh  with  your 
flame,  and  consume  his  bones  to  ash  and  cinder.  If  any 
woman  go  near  them  before  Tu-Kila-Kila  bids,  let  her 
be  rolled  in  palm-leaves,  and  smeared  with  oil,  and  light 
her  up  for  a  torch  on  a  dark  night  to  lighten  our  temple." 

The  King  of  Fire  bent  his  head  in  assent.  "  It  is  as 
Tu-Kila-Kila  wills,"  he  answered,  submissively. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  whistled  again,  this  time  twice.  "  The 
King  of  Water !"  he  exclaimed  in  the  same  loud  tone 
of  command  as  before. 


32  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

At  the  words,  a  man  of  about  forty,  tall  and  sinewy, 
clad  in  a  short  cape  of  white  albatross  feathers,  and 
with  a  girdle  of  nautilus  shells  interspersed  with  red 
coral  tied  around  his  waist,  came  forth  to  the  sum- 
mons. 

"  The  King  of  Water  is  here,"  he  said,  bending  his 
head,  but  not  his  knee,  before  the  greater  deity. 

"  Water,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  said,  with  half-tipsy  solem- 
nity, "  you  are  a  god  too.  Your  power  is  very  great. 
But  less  than  mine.  Do,  then,  as  I  bid  you.  If  any 
man  touch  my  spirits,  whom  I  have  brought  from  my 
home  in  the  sun  in  a  fiery  ship,  before  I  bid  him  to- 
morrow, overturn  his  canoe,  and  drown  him  in  lagoon 
or  spring  or  ocean.  If  any  woman  go  near  them  with- 
out Tu-Kila-Kila's  leave,  bind  her  hand  and  foot  with 
ropes  of  porpoise  hide,  and  cast  her  out  into  the  surf,  and 
dash  her  with  your  waves,  and  pummel  her  to  pieces." 

The  King  of  Water  bent  his  head  a  second  time.  "  I 
am  a  great  god,"  he  answered,  "  before  all  others  save 
you ;  but  for  you,  Tu-Kila-Kila,  I  haste  to  do  your  bid- 
ding. If  any  man  disobey  you,  my  billows  shall  rise 
and  overwhelm  him  in  the  sea.  I  am  a  great  god.  I 
claim  each  year  many  drowned  victims." 

"  But  not  so  many  as  me,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  interposed, 
his  hand  playing  on  his  knife  with  a  faint  air  of  im- 
patience. 

"  But  not  so  many  as  you,"  the  minor  god  added,  in 
haste,  as  if  to  appease  his  rising  anger.  "  Fire  and 
Water  ever  speed  to  do  your  bidding." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  stood  up,  turned  towards  the  distant 
flame,  and  waved  his  hands  round  and  round  three 
times  before  him.     "  Let  this  be  for  you  all  a  great 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  33 

taboo,"  he  said,  glancing  once  more  towards  his  awe- 
struck followers.  "Now  the  mysteries  are  over.  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  will  sleep.  He  has  eaten  of  human  flesh. 
He  has  drunk  of  cocoanut  rum  and  of  new  kava.  He 
has  brought  back  his  sun  on  its  way  in  the  heavens. 
He  has  sent  it  messengers  of  fire  to  reinforce  its 
strength.  He  has  fetched  from  it  messengers  in  turn 
with  fresh  fire  to  Boupari,  fire  not  lighted  from  any 
earthly  flame ;  fire,  new,  divine,  scorching,  unspeak- 
able. To-morrow  we  will  talk  with  the  spirits  he  has 
brought.  To-night  we  will  sleep.  Now  all  go  to  your 
homes ;  and  tell  your  women  of  this  great  taboo,  lest 
they  speak  to  the  spirits,  and  fall  into  the  hands  of  Fire 
or  of  Water." 

The  savages  dropped  on  their  faces  before  the  eye 
of  their  god  and  lay  quite  still.  They  made  a  path  as 
it  were  from  the  pyre  to  the  temple  door  with  their 
prostrate  bodies.  Tu-Kila-Kila,  walking  with  unsteady 
steps  over  their  half-naked  forms,  turned  to  his  hut  in 
a  drunken  booze.  He  walked  over  them  with  no  more 
compunction  or  feeling  than  over  so  many  logs.  Why 
should  he  not,  indeed  ?  For  he  wras  a  god,  and  they 
were  his  meat,  his  servants,  his  worshippers. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  GUESTS  OF  HEAVEN. 


All  that  night  through — their  first  lonely  night  on 
the  island  of  Boupari — Felix  sat  up  by  his  flickering 
fire,  wide  awake,  half  expecting  and  dreading  some 
3 


34  THE   GKEAT  TABOO. 

treacherous  attack  of  the  unknown  savages.  From 
time  to  time,  he  kept  adding  dry  fuel  to  his  smoulder- 
ing pile;  and  he  never  ceased  to  keep  a  keen  eye  both 
on  the  lagoon  and  the  reef,  in  case  an  assault  should 
be  made  upon  them  suddenly  by  land  or  .water.  He 
knew  the  South  Seas  quite  well  enough  already  to 
have  all  the  possibilities  of  misfortune  floating  vividly 
before  his  eyes.  He  realized  at  once  from  his  own 
previous  experience  the  full  loneliness  and  terror  of 
their  unarmed  condition. 

For  Boupari  was  one  of  those  rare  remote  islets 
where  the  very  rumor  of  our  European  civilization  has 
hardly  yet  penetrated. 

As  for  Muriel,  though  she  was  alarmed  enough,  of 
course,  and  intensely  shaken  by  the  sudden  shock  she 
had  received,  the  whole  surroundings  were  too  wholly 
unlike  any  wTorld  she  had  ever  yet  known  to  enable 
her  to  take  in  at  once  the  utter  horror  of  the  situation. 
She  only  knew  they  were  alone,  wet,  bruised,  and  ter- 
ribly battered;  and  the  Australasian  had  gone  on, 
leaving  them  there  to  their  fate  on  an  unknown  island. 
That,  for  the  moment,  was  more  than  enough  for  her 
of  accumulated  misfortune.  She  came  to  herself  but 
slowly,  and  as  her  torn  clothes  dried  by  degrees  before 
the  fire  and  the  heat  of  the  tropical  night,  she  was  so 
far  from  fully  realizing  the  dangers  of  their  position 
that  her  first  and  principal  fear  for  the  moment  was 
lest  she  might  take  cold  from  her  wet  things  drying 
upon  her.  She  ate  a  little  of  the  plantain  that  Felix 
picked  for  her ;  and  at  times,  towards  morning,  she 
dozed  off  into  an  uneasy  sleep,  from  pure  fatigue  and 
excess  of  weariness.     As  she  slept,  Felix,  bending  over 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  35 

her,  with  the  biggest  blade  of  his  knife  open  in  case  of 
attack,  watched  with  profound  emotion  the  rise  and 
fall  of  her  bosom,  and  hesitated  with  himself,  if  the 
worst  should  come  to  the  worst,  as  to  what  he  ought 
to  do  with  her. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  let  a  pure  young  English 
girl  like  that  fall  helplessly  into  the  hands  of  such 
bloodthirsty  wretches  as  he  knew  the  islanders  were 
almost  certain  to  be.  Who  could  tell  what  nameless 
indignities,  what  incredible  tortures  they  might  wan- 
tonly inflict  upon  her  innocent  soul  ?  Was  it  right  of 
him  to  have  let  her  come  ashore  at  all  %  Ought  he  not 
rather  to  have  allowed  the  more  merciful  sea  to  take 
her  life  easily,  without  the  chance  or  possibility  of  such 
additional  horrors  % 

And  now — as  she  slept — so  calm  and  pure  and  maid- 
enly— what  was  his  duty  that  minute,  just  there,  to 
her?  He  felt  the  blade  of  his  knife  with  his  finger 
cautiously,  and  almost  doubted.  If  only  she  could 
tell  what  things  might  be  in  store  for  her,  would  she 
not,  herself,  prefer  death,  an  honorable  death,  at  the 
friendly  hands  of  a  tender-hearted  fellow-countryman, 
to  the  unspeakable  insults  of  these  man-eating  Poly- 
nesians ?  If  only  he  had  the  courage  to  release  her  by 
one  blow,  as  she  lay  there,  from  the  coming  ill !  But 
he  hadn't ;  he  hadn't.  Even  on  board  the  Australa- 
sian, he  had  been  vaguely  aware  that  he  was  getting 
very  fond  of  that  pretty  little  Miss  Ellis.  And  now 
that  he  sat  there,  after  that  desperate  struggle  for  life 
with  the  pounding  waves,  mounting  guard  over  her 
through  the  livelong  night,  his  own  heart  told  him 
plainly,  in  tones  he  could  not  disobey,  he  loved  her  too 


30  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

well  to  dare  what  he  thought  best  in  the  end  for 
her. 

Still,  even  so,  he  was  brave  enough  to  feel  he  must 
never  let  the  very  worst  of  all  befall  her.  He  be- 
thought him,  in  his  doubt  and  agony,  of  how  his  uncle, 
Major  Thurstan,  during  the  great  Indian  mutiny,  had 
held  his  lonely  bungalow,  with  his  wife  and  daughter 
by  his  side,  for  three  long  hours  against  a  howling  mob 
of  native  insurgents;  and  how,  when  further  resistance 
was  hopeless,  and  that  great  black  wave  of  angry  hu- 
manity burst  in  upon  them  at  last,  the  brave  soldier 
had  drawn  his  revolver,  shot  his  wife  and  daughter 
with  unerring  aim,  to  prevent  their  falling  alive  into 
the  hands  of  the  natives,  and  then  blown  his  own  brains 
out  with  his  last  remaining  cartridge.  As  his  uncle 
had  done  at  Jhansi,  thirty  years  before,  so  he  himself 
would  do  on  that  nameless  Pacific  island — for  he  didn't 
know  even  now  on  what  shore  he  had  landed.  If  the 
savages  bore  down  upon  them  with  hostile  intent,  and 
threatened  Muriel,  he  would  plunge  his  knife  first  into 
that  innocent  woman's  heart;  and  then  bury  it  deep 
in  his  own,  and  die  beside  her. 

So  the  long  night  wore  on — Muriel,  pillowed  on 
loose  cocoanut  husk,  dozing  now  and  again,  and  wak- 
ing with  a  start  to  gaze  round  about  her  wildly,  and 
realize  once  more  in  what  plight  she  found  herself; 
Felix  crouching  by  her  feet,  and  keeping  watch  with 
eager  eyes  and  ears  on  every  side  for  the  least  sign  of 
a  noiseless,  naked  footfall  through  the  tangled  growth 
of  that  dense  tropical  underbush.  Time  after  time 
he  clapped  his  hand  to  his  ear,  shell-wise,  and  listened 
and  peered,  with  knitted  brow,  suspecting  some  sudden 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  37 

swoop  from  an  ambush  in  the  jungle  of  creepers  be- 
hind the  little  plantain  patch.  Time  after  time  he 
grasped  his  knife  hard,  and  puckered  his  eyebrows  res- 
olutely, and  stood  still  with  bated  breath  for  a  fierce, 
wild  leap  upon  his  fancied  assailant.  But  the  night 
wore  away  by  degrees,  a  minute  at  a  time,  and  no  man 
came  ;  and  dawn  began  to  brighten  the  sea-line  to  east- 
ward. 

As  the  day  dawned,  Felix  could  see  more  clearly 
exactly  where  he  was,  and  in  what  surroundings. 
Without,  the  ocean  broke  in  huge  curling  billows  on 
the  shallow  beach  of  the  fringing  reef  with  such  stu- 
pendous force  that  Felix  wondered  how  they  could 
ever  have  lived  through  its  pounding  surf  and  its 
fiercely  retreating  undertow.  Within,  the  lagoon 
spread  its  calm  lake-like  surface  away  to  the  white  coral 
shore  of  the  central  atoll.  Between  these  two  waters, 
the  greater  and  the  less,  a  waving  palisade  of  tall- 
stemmed  palm-trees  rose  on  a  narrow  ribbon  of  circular 
land  that  formed  the  fringing  reef.  All  night  through 
he  had  felt,  with  a  strange  eerie  misgiving,  the  very 
foundations  of  the  land  thrill  under  his  feet  at  every 
dull  thud  or  boom  of  the  surf  on  its  restraining  bar- 
rier. Now  that  he  could  see  that  thin  belt  of  shore  in 
its  actual  shape  and  size,  he  was  not  astonished  at  this 
constant  shock ;  what  surprised  him  rather  was  the 
fact  that  such  a  speck  of  land  could  hold  its  own  at  all 
against  the  ceaseless  cannonade  of  that  seemingly  ir- 
resistible ocean. 

He  stood  up,  hatless,  in  his  battered  tweed  suit,  and 
surveyed  the  scene  of  their  present  and  future  adven- 
tures.    It  took  but  a  glance  to  show  him  that  the  whole 


38  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

ground-plan  of  the  island  was  entirely  circular.  In 
the  midst  of  all  rose  the  central  atoll  itself,  a  tiny 
mountain -peak,  just  projecting  with  its  hills  and 
gorges  to  a  few  hundred  feet  above  the  surface  of 
the  ocean.  Outside  it  came  the  lagoon,  with  its  placid 
ring  of  glassy  water  surrounding  the  circular  island, 
and  separated  from  the  sea  by  an  equally  circular  belt 
of  fringing  reef,  covered  thick  with  waving  stems  of 
picturesque  cocoanut.  It  was  on  the  reef  they  had 
landed,  and  from  it  they  now  looked  across  the  calm 
lagoon  with  doubtful  eyes  towards  the  central  island. 

As  soon  as  the  sun  rose,  their  doubts  were  quickly 
resolved  into  fears  or  certainties.  Scarcely  had  its  rim 
begun  to  show  itself  distinctly  above  the  eastern  hori- 
zon, wrhen  a  great  bustle  and  confusion  was  noticeable 
at  once  on  the  opposite  shore.  Brown-skinned  savages 
were  collecting  in  eager  groups  b}r  a  white  patch  of 
beach,  and  putting  out  rude  but  well-manned  canoes 
into  the  calm  waters  of  the  lagoon.  At  sight  of  their 
naked  arms  and  bustling  gestures,  Muriel's  heart  sank 
suddenly  within  her.  "  Oh,  Mr.  Thurstan,"  she  cried, 
clinging  to  his  arm  in  her  terror,  "what  does  it  all 
mean  ?  Are  they  going  to  hurt  us?  Are  these  savages 
coming  over?     Are  they  coming  to  kill  us?" 

Felix  grasped  his  trusty  knife  hard  in  his  right  hand, 
and  swallowed  a  groan,  as  he  looked  tenderly  down 
upon  her.  "  Muriel,"  he  said,  forgetting  in  the  excite- 
ment of  the  moment  the  little  conventionalities  and 
courtesies  of  civilized  life,  "  if  they  are,  trust  me,  you 
never  shall  fall  alive  into  their  cruel  hands.  Sooner 
than  that — "  he  held  up  the  knife  significantly,  with 
its  open  blade  before  her. 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  39 

The  poor  girl  clung  to  him  harder  still,  with  a 
ghastly  shudder.  "Oh,  it's  terrible,  terrible,"  she 
cried,  turning  deadly  pale.  Then,  after  a  short  pause, 
she  added,  «  But  I  would  rather  have  it  so.  Do  as  you 
say.  I  could  bear  it  from  you.  Promise  me  that, 
rather  than  that  those  creatures  should  kill  me." 

"I   promise,"  Felix   answered,  clasping   her   hand 
hard,  and  paused,  with  the  knife  every  ready  in  his 
right,  awaiting  the  approach  of  the  half-naked  savages. 
°The  boats  glided  fast  across  the  lagoon,  propelled  by 
the  paddles  of  the  stalwart  Polynesians  who  manned 
them,  and  crowded  to  the  water's  edge  with  groups  of 
grinning  and  shouting  warriors.     They  were  dressed  in 
aprons  of  dracaena  leaves  only,  with  necklets  and  arm- 
lets of  shark's  teeth  and  cowrie  shells.     A  dozen  canoes 
at  least  were  making  towards  the  reef  at  full  speed,  all 
bristling  with  spears  and  alive  with  noisy  and  boister- 
ous savages.     Muriel  shrank  back  terror-stricken  at  the 
sight,  as  they  drew  nearer  and  nearer.     But  Felix, 
holding  his  breath  hard,  grew  somewhat  less  nervous 
as  the  men  approached  the  reef.     He  had  seen  enough 
of  Polynesian  life  before  now  to  feel  sure  these  people 
were  not  upon  the  war-path.     Whatever  their  ultimate 
intentions  towards  the  castaways  might  be,  their  imme- 
diate object  seemed  friendly  and  good-humored.     The 
boats,  though  large,  were  not  regular  war-canoes ;  the 
men,  instead  of  brandishing  their  spears,  and  lunging 
out  with  them  over  the  edge  in  threatening  attitudes, 
held  them  erect  in  their  hands  at  rest,  like  standards; 
they  were  laughing  and  talking,  not  crying  their  war- 
cry.     As  they,  drew  near  the  shore,  one  big  canoe  shot 
suddenly  a  length  or  so  ahead  of  the  rest;   and  its 


40  THE    GREAT    TABOO. 

leader,  standing  on  the  grotesque  carved  figure  that 
adorned  its  prow,  held  up  both  his  hands  open  and 
empty  before  him,  in  sign  of  peace,  while  at  the  same 
time  he  shouted  out  a  word  or  two  three  times  in  his 
own  language,  to  reassure  the  castaways. 

Felix's  eye  glanced  cautiously  from  boat  to  boat. 
"  He  says, '  We  are  friends,'  "  the  young  man  remarked 
in  an  undertone  to  his  terrified  companion.  "  I  can 
understand  his  dialect.  Thank  Heaven,  it's  very  close 
to  Fijian.  I  shall  be  able  at  least  to  palaver  to  these 
men.  I  don't  think  they  mean  just  now  to  harm  us. 
I  believe  we  can  trust  them,  at  any  rate  for  the  present." 

The  poor  girl  drew  back  in  still  greater  awe  and 
alarm  than  ever.  "Oh,  are  they  going  to  land  here?" 
she  cried,  still  clinging  closer  with  both  hands  to  her 
one  friend  and  protector. 

"  Try  not  to  look  so  frightened !"  Felix  exclaimed, 
with  a  warning  glance.  "Remember,  much  depends 
upon  it ;  savages  judge  you  greatly  by  what  demeanor 
you  happen  to  assume.  If  you're  frightened,  they 
know  their  power;  if  they  see  you're  resolute,  they 
suspect  you  have  some  supernatural  means  of  protec- 
tion. Try  to  meet  them  frankly,  as  if  you  were  not 
afraid  of  them."  Then,  advancing  slowly  to  the  water's 
edge,  he  called  out  aloud  in  a  strong,  clear  voice,  a  few 
words  which  Muriel  didn't  understand,  but  which  were 
really  the  Fijian  for  "  We  also  are  friendly.  Our 
medicine  is  good.  We  mean  no  magic.  We  come  to 
you  from  across  the  great  water.  We  desire  your  peace. 
Receive  us  and  protect  us !" 

At  the  sound  of  words  which  he  could  readilj"  un- 
derstand, and  which  differed  but  little,  indeed,  from 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  41 

his  own  language,  the  leader  on  the  foremost  canoe, 
who  seemed  by  his  manner  to  be  a  great  chief,  turned 
round  to  his  followers  and  cried  out  in  tones  of  super- 
stitious awe,  "  Tu-Ivila-Kila  spoke  well.  These  are,  in- 
deed, what  he  told  us.  Korong!  Korong!  They  are 
spirits  who  have  come  to  us  from  the  disk  of  the  sun, 
to  bring  us  light  and  pure,  fresh  fire.  Stay  back  there, 
all  of  you.  You  are  not  holy  enough  to  approach.  I 
and  my  crew,  who  are  sanctified  by  the  mysteries,  we 
alone  will  go  forward  to  meet  them." 

As  he  spoke,  a  sudden  idea,  suggested  by  his  words, 
struck  Felix's  mind.  Superstition  is  the  great  lever  by 
which  to  move  the  savage  intelligence.  Gathering  up 
a  few  dry  leaves  and  fragments  of  stick  on  the  shore, 
he  laid  them  together  in  a  pile,  and  awaited  in  silence 
the  arrival  of  the  foremost  islanders.  The  first  canoe 
advanced  slowly  and  cautiously,  the  men  in  it  eying 
these  proceedings  with  evident  suspicion  ;  the  rest 
hung  back,  with  their  spears  in  array,  and  their  hands 
just  ready  to  use  them  with  effect  should  occasion  de- 
mand it. 

The  leader  of  the  first  canoe,  coming  close  to  the 
shore,  jumped  out  upon  the  reef  in  shallow  water. 
Half  a  dozen  of  his  followers  jumped  after  him  with- 
out hesitation,  and  brandished  their  weapons  round 
their  heads  as  they  advanced,  in  savage  unison.  But 
Felix,  pretending  hardly  to  notice  these  hostile  demon- 
strations, stepped  boldly  up  towards  his  little  pile  with 
great  deliberation,  though  trembling  inwardly,  and  pro- 
ceeded before  their  eyes  to  take  a  match  from  his  box, 
which  he  displayed  ostentatiously,  all  glittering  in  the 
sun,  to  the  foremost  savage.     The  leader  stood  by  and 


42  THE    GKEAT    TABOO. 

watched  him  close  with  eyes  of  silent  wonder.  Then 
Felix,  kneeling  down,  struck  the  match  on  the  box.,  and 
applied  it,  as  it  lighted,  to  the  dry  leaves  beside  him. 

A  chorus  of  astonishment  burst  unanimously  from 
the  delighted  natives  as  the  dry  leaves  leaped  all  at  once 
into  a  tongue  of  flame,  and  the  little  pile  caught 
quickly  from  the  fire  in  the  vesta. 

The  leader  looked  hard  at  the  two  white  faces,  and 
then  at  the  fire  on  the  beach,  with  evident  approbation. 
"  It  is  as  Tu-Kila-Ivila  said,"  he  exclaimed  at  last,  with 
profound  awe.  "  They  are  spirits  from  the  sun,  and 
they  carry  with  them  pure  fire  in  shining  boxes." 

Then,  advancing  a  pace  and  pointing  towards  the 
canoe,  he  motioned  Felix  and  Muriel  to  take'their  seats 
within  it  with  native  savage  politeness.  "  Tu-Kila-Kila 
has  sent  for  you,"  he  said,  in  his  grandest  aristocratic 
air,  "  for  your  chief  is  a  gentleman.  He  wishes  to  re- 
ceive you.  He  saw  your  message-fire  on  the  reef  last 
night,  and  he  knew  you  had  come.  He  has  made  you 
a  very  great  Taboo.  He  has  put  you  under  the  pro- 
tection of  Fire  and  Water." 

The  people  in  the  boats,  with  one  accord,  shouted 
out  in  wild  chorus,  as  if  to  confirm  his  words,  "  Taboo  ! 
Taboo!  Tu-Kila-Kila  has  said  it!  Taboo!  Taboo! 
Ware  Fire  !     Ware  Water  !" 

Though  the  dialect  in  which  they  spoke  differed 
somewhat  from  that  in  use  in  Fiji,  Felix  could  still 
make  out  with  care  almost  every  word  of  what  the 
chief  had  said  to  him  ;  and  the  universal  Polynesian 
expression,  "  Taboo,"  in  particular,  somewhat  reassured 
him  as  to  their  friendly  intentions.  Among  remote 
heathen  islanders  like  these,  he  felt  sure,  the  very  word 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  43 

itself  was  far  too  sacred  to  be  taken  in  vain.  They 
would  respect  its  inviolability.  lie  turned  round  to 
Muriel.  "  We  must  go  with  them,"  he  said,  shortly. 
"It's  our  one  chance  left  of  life  now.  Don't  be  too 
terrified ;  there  is  still  some  hope.  They  say  somebody 
they  call  Tu-Kila-Kila  has  tabooed  us.  No  one  will 
dare  to  hurt  us  against  so  great  a  Taboo ;  for  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  is  evidently  some  very  important  king  or  chief. 
You  must  step  into  the  boat.  It  can't  be  avoided.  If 
any  harm  is  threatened,  be  sure  I  won't  forget  my 
promise." 

Muriel  shrank  back  in  alarm,  and  clung  still  to  his 
arm  now  as  naturally  as  she  would  have  clung  to  a 
brother's.  "  Oh,  Mr.  Thurstan,"  she  cried—"  Felix,  I 
don't  know  what  to  say ;  I  can't  go  with  them." 

Felix  put  his  arm  gently  round  her  girlish  waist,  and 
half  lifted  her  into  the  boat  in  spite  of  her  reluctance. 
"  You  must,"  he  said  with  great  firmness.  "  You  must 
do  as  I  say.  I  will  watch  over  you,  and  take  care  of 
you.  If  the  worst  comes,  I  have  always  my  knife,  and 
I  won't  forget.  Now,  friend,"  he  went  on,  in  Fijian, 
turning  round  to  the  chief,  as  he  took  his  seat  in  the 
canoe  fearlessly  among  all  those  dusky,  half-clad  figures, 
"  we  are  ready  to  start.  "We  do  not  fear.  "We  wish  to 
go.     Take  us  to  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

And  all  the  savages  around,  shouting  in  their  sur- 
prise and  awe,  exclaimed  once  more  in  concert,  "  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  is  great.  "We  will  take  them,  as  he  bids  us, 
forthwith  to  heaven." 

"  What  do  they  say  ?"  Muriel  cried,  clinging  close 
to  the  white  man's  side  in  her  speechless  terror.  "Do 
you  understand  their  language  ?" 


U  THE    GREAT   TABOO. 

"Well,  I  can't  quite  make  it  out,"  Felix  answered, 
much  puzzled  ;  "  that  is  to  say,  not  every  word  of  it. 
They  say  they'll  take  us  somewhere,  I  don't  quite  know 
where  ;  but  in  Fijian,  the  word  would  certainly  mean 
to  heaven." 

Muriel  shuddered  visibly.  "  You  don't  think,"  she 
said,  with  a  tremulous  tongue,  "they  mean  to  kill  us  '." 

"No,  I  don't  think  so,"  Felix  replied,  not  over-con- 
fidently.  "  They  said  we  were  Taboo.  But  with  sav- 
ages like  these,  of  course,  one  can  never  in  any  case 
be  quite  certain." 


CHAPTER  V. 

ENROLLED  IN   OLYMPUS. 


They  rowed  across  the  lagoon,  a  mysterious  pro- 
cession, almost  in  silence — the  canoe  with  the  two  Eu- 
ropeans going  first,  the  others  following  at  a  slight 
distance — and  landed  at  last  on  the  brink  of  the  cen- 
tral island. 

Several  of  the  Boupari  people  leaped  ashore  at  once  ; 
then  they  helped  Felix  and  Muriel  from  the  frail  bark 
with  almost  deferential  care,  and  led  the  way  before 
them  up  a  steep  white  path,  that  zigzagged  through  the 
forest  towards  the  centre  of  the  island.  As  they  went, 
a  band  of  natives  preceded  them  in  regular  line  of 
march,  shouting  "  Taboo,  taboo  !"  at  short  intervals, 
especially  as  they  neared  any  group  of  fan-palm  cot- 
tages. The  women  whom  they  met  fell  on  their  knees 
at  once,  till  the  strange  procession  had  passed  them  by; 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  45 

the  men  only  bowed  their  heads  thrice,  and  made  a 
rapid  movement  on  their  breasts  with  their  fingers, 
which  reminded  Muriel  at  once  of  the  sign  of  the  cross 
in  Catholic  countries. 

So  on  they  wended  their  way  in  silence  through  the 
deep  tropical  jungle,  along  a  pathway  just  wide  enough 
for  three  to  walk  abreast,  till  they  emerged  suddenly 
upon  a  large  cleared  space,  in  whose  midst  grew  a  great 
banyan-tree,  with  arms  that  dropped  and  rooted  them- 
selves like  buttresses  in  the  soil  beneath.  Under  the 
banyan-tree  a  raised  platform  stood  upon  posts  of  bam- 
boo. The  platform  was  covered  with  fine  network  in 
yellow  and  red ;  and  two  little  stools  occupied  the  mid- 
dle, as  if  placed  there  on  purpose  and  waiting  for 
their  occupants. 

The  man  who  had  headed  the  first  canoe  turned 
round  to  Felix  and  motioned  him  forward.  "  This  is 
Heaven,"  he  said  glibly  in  his  own  tongue.  "  Spirits, 
ascend  it !" 

Felix,  much  wondering  what  the  ceremony  could 
mean,  mounted  the  platform  without  a  word,  in  obe- 
dience to  the  chief's  command,  closely  followed  by 
Muriel,  who  dared  not  leave  him  for  a  second. 

"  Bring  water !"  the  chief  said,  shortly,  in  a  voice  of 
authority  to  one  of  his  followers. 

The  man  handed  up  a  calabash  with  a  little  water  in 
it.  The  chief  took  the  rude  vessel  from  his  hands  in 
a  reverential  manner,  and  poured  a  few  drops  of  the 
contents  on  Felix's  head  ;  the  water  trickled  down  over 
his  hair  and  forehead.  Involuntarily,  Felix  shook  his 
head  a  little  at  the  unexpected  wetting,  and  scattered 
the  drops  right  and  left  on  his  neck  and  shoulders. 


40  THE   (J  RE  AT   TABOO. 

The  chief  watched  this  performance  attentively  with 
profound  satisfaction.  Then  he  turned  to  his  attend- 
ants. 

"The  spirit  shakes  his  head,"  he  said,  with  a  deeply 
convinced  air.  "All  is  well.  Heaven  has  chosen  him. 
Korong !  Korong !  He  is  accepted  for  his  purpose. 
It  is  well!     It  is  well !     Let  us  try  the  other  one." 

He  raised  the  calabash  once  more,  and  poured  a  few 
drops  in  like  manner  on  Muriel's  dark  hair.  The  poor 
girl,  trembling  in  every  limb,  shook  her  head  also  in 
the  same  unintentional  fashion.  The  chief  regarded 
her  with  still  more  complacent  eyes. 

"It  is  well,"  he  observed  once  more  to  his  compan- 
ions, smiling.  "  She,  too,  gives  the  sign  of  acceptance. 
Korong !  Korong !  Heaven  is  well  pleased  with  both. 
See  how  her  body  trembles !" 

At  that  moment  a  girl  came  forward  with  a  little 
basket  of  fruits.  The  chief  chose  a  banana  with  care 
from  the  basket,  peeled  it  with  his  dusky  hands,  broke 
it  slowly  in  two,  and  handed  one  half  very  solemnly  to 
Felix. 

"  Eat,  King  of  the  Rain,"  he  said,  as  he  presented  it. 
"The  offering  of  Heaven." 

Felix  ate  it  at  once,  thinking  it  best  under  the  cir- 
cumstances not  to  demur  at  all  to  anything  his  strange 
hosts  might  choose  to  impose  upon  him. 

The  chief  handed  the  other  half  just  as  solemnly  to 
Muriel.  "  Eat,  Queen  of  the  Clouds,"  he  said,  as  he 
placed  it  in  her  fingers.     "  The  offering  of  Heaven." 

Muriel  hesitated.  She  didn't  know  what  his  words 
meant,  and  it  seemed  to  her  rather  the  offering  of  a 
very  dirty  and  unwashed  savage.     The  chief  eyed  her 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  47 

hard.  "  For  God's  sake  eat  it,  my  child  ;  he  tells  you 
to  eat  it!"  Felix  exclaimed  in  haste.  Muriel  lifted  it 
to  her  lips  and  swallowed  it  down  with  difficulty.  The 
man's  dusky  hands  didn't  inspire  confidence. 

But  the  chief  seemed  relieved  when  he  had  seen  her 
swallow  it.  "All  is  well  done,"  he  said,  turning  again 
to  his  followers.  "  We  have  obeyed  the  words  of  Tu- 
Kila-Kila,  and  his  orders  that  he  gave  us.  We  have 
offered  the  strangers,  the  spirits  from  the  sun,  as  a  free 
gift  to  Heaven,  and  Heaven  has  accepted  them.  We 
have  given  them  fruits,  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  and 
they  have  duly  eaten  them.  Korong  !  Korong  !  The 
King  of  the  Rain  and  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds  have 
indeed  come  among  us.  They  are  truly  gods.  We 
will  take  them  now,  as  he  bid  us,  to  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

"  What  have  they  done  to  us  ?"  Muriel  asked  aside, 
in  a  terrified  undertone  of  Felix. 

"I  can't  quite  make  out,"  Felix  answered  in  the 
self-same  voice.  "  They  call  us  the  King  of  the  Rain 
and  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds  in  their  own  language. 
I  think  they  imagine  we've  come  from  the  sun  and 
that  we're  a  sort  of  spirits." 

At  the  sound  of  these  words  the  girl  who  held  the 
basket  of  fruits  gave  a  sudden  start.  It  almost  seemed 
to  Muriel  as  if  she  understood  them.  But  when  Muriel 
looked  again  she  gave  no  further  sign.  She  merely 
held  her  peace,  and  tried  to  appear  wholly  undis- 
concerted. 

The  chief  beckoned  them  down  from  the  platform 
with  a  wave  of  his  hand.  They  rose  and  followed  him. 
As  they  rose  the  people  around  them  bowed  low  to  the 
ground.     Felix  could  see  they  were  bowing  to  Muriel 


48  THE   GREAT  TABOO. 

and  himself,  not  merely  to  the  chief.  A  doubt  flitted 
strangely  across  his  mind  for  a  moment.  "What  could 
it  all  mean  '.  Did  they  take  the  two  strangers,  then, 
for  supernatural  beings?  Had  they  enrolled  them  as 
gods?  If  so,  it  might  serve  as  some  little  protection 
for  them. 

The  procession  formed  again,  three  and  three,  three 
and  three,  in  solemn  silence.  Then  the  chief  walked 
in  front  of  them  with  measured  steps,  and  Felix  and 
Muriel  followed  behind,  wondering.  As  they  went, 
the  cry  rose  louder  and  louder  than  before,  "  Taboo ! 
Taboo !"  People  who  met  them  fell  on  their  faces  at 
once,  as  the  chief  cried  out  in  a  loud  tone,  "  The  King 
of  the  Rain !  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds!  Korong !  Ko- 
rong  !     They  are  coming!     They  are  coming!" 

At  last  they  reached  a  second  cleared  space,  stand- 
ing in  a  large  garden  of  manilla,  loquat,  poncians,  and 
hibiscus-trees.  It  was  entered  by  a  gate,  a  tall  gate  of 
bamboo  posts.  At  the  gate  all  the  followers  fell  back 
to  right  and  left,  awe-struck.  Only  the  chief  went 
calmly  on.  He  beckoned  to  Felix  and  Muriel  to  fol- 
low him. 

They  entered,  half  terrified.  Felix  still  grasped  his 
open  knife  in  his  hand,  ready  to  strike  at  any  moment 
that  might  be  necessary.  The  chief  led  them  forward 
towards  a  very  large  tree  near  the  centre  of  the  garden. 
At  the  foot  of  the  tree  stood  a  hut,  somewhat  bigger 
and  better  built  than  any  they  had  yet  seen  ;  and  in 
front  of  the  trunk  a  stalwart  savage,  very  powerfully 
built,  but  with  a  sinister  look  in  his  cruel  and  lustful 
eye,  was  pacing  up  and  down,  like  a  sentinel  on  guard, 
a  long  spear  in  his  right  hand,  and  a  tomahawk  in  his 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  49 

left,  held  close  by  his  side,  all  ready  for  action.  As  he 
prowled  up  and  down  he  seemed  to  be  peering  warily 
about  him  on  every  side,  as  if  each  instant  he  expected 
to  be  set  upon  by  an  enemy.  But  as  the  chief  ap- 
proached, the  people  without  set  up  once  more  the  cry 
of  "Taboo!  Taboo!"  and  the  stalwart  savage  by  the 
tree,  laying  down  his  spear  and  letting  his  tomahawk 
fall  free,  dropped  in  a  second  the  air  of  watchful 
alarm,  and  advanced  with  some  courtesy  to  greet  the 
new-comers. 

"  We  have  found  them,  Tu-Kila-Kila,"  the  chief  said, 
presenting  them  to  the  god  with  a  graceful  wave  of  his 
hand.  "We  have  found  the  spirits  that  you  brought 
from  the  sun,  with  the  fire  in  their  hands,  and  the  light 
in  boxes.  We  have  taken  them  to  Heaven.  Heaven 
has  accepted  them.  We  have  offered  them  fruit,  and 
they  have  eaten  the  banana.  The  King  of  the  Rain — 
the  Queen  of  the  Clouds !    Korong !     Receive  them  !" 

Tu-Kila-Kila  glanced  at  them  with  an  approving 
glance,  strangely  compounded  of  pleasure  and  terror. 
"  They  are  plump,"  he  said  shortly.  "  They  are  in- 
deed Korong.  My  sun  has  sent  me  an  acceptable 
present." 

"  What  is  your  will  that  we  should  do  with  them  V 
the  chief  asked  in  a  deeply  deferential  tone. 

Tu-Kila-Kile  looked  hard  at  Muriel — such  a  hateful 
look  that  the  knife  trembled  irresolute  for  a  second  in 
Felix's  hand.  "  Give  them  two  fresh  huts,"  he  said, 
in  a  lordly  way.  "Give  them  divine  platters.  Give 
them  all  that  they  need.  Make  everything  right  for 
them." 

The  chief  bowed,  and  retired  with  an  awed  air  from 
4 


50  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

the  presence.  Exactly  as  he  passed  a  certain  line  on 
the  ground,  marked  white  with  a  row  of  coral-sand, 
Tu-Kila-Kila  seized  his  spear  and  his  tomahawk  once 
more,  and  mounted  guard,  as  before,  at  the  foot  of  the 
great  tree  where  they  had  seen  him  pacing.  An  in- 
stantaneous change  seemed  to  Muriel  to  come  over  his 
demeanor  at  that  moment.  While  he  spoke  with  the 
chief  she  noticed  he  looked  all  cruelty,  Inst,  and  hate- 
ful self-indulgence.  Now  that  he  paced  up  and  down 
warily  in  front  of  that  sacred  floor,  peering  around  him 
with  keen  suspicion,  he  seemed  rather  the  personifica- 
tion of  watchfulness,  fear,  and  a  certain  slavish  bodily 
terror.  Especially,  she  observed,  he  cast  upon  Felix, 
as  he  went,  a  glance  of  angry  hate ;  and  yet  he  did  not 
attempt  to  hurt  or  molest  him  in  any  way,  defenceless 
as  they  both  were  before  those  numerous  savages. 

As  they  emerged  from  the  enclosure,  the  girl  with 
the  fruit  basket  stood  near  the  gate,  looking  outward 
from  the  wall,  her  face  turned  away  from  the  awful 
home  of  Tu-Kila-Kila.  At  the  moment  when  Muriel 
passed,  to  her  immense  astonishment  the  girl  spoke  to 
her.  "  Don't  be  afraid,  missy,"  she  said  in  English,  in 
a  rather  low  voice,  without  obtrusively  approaching 
them.  "  Boupari  man  not  going  to  hurt  you.  Me 
going  to  be  your  servant.  Me  name  Mali.  Me  very 
good  girl.     Me  take  plenty  care  of  you." 

The  unexpected  sound  of  her  own  language,  in  the 
midst  of  so  much  unmitigated  savagery,  took  Muriel 
fairly  by  surprise.  She  looked  hard  at  the  girl,  but 
thought  it  wisest  to  answer  nothing.  This  particular 
young  woman,  indeed,  was  just  as  dark,  and  to  all  ap- 
pearance just  as  much  of  a  savage,  as  any  of  the  rest 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  51 

of  them.  But  she  could  speak  English,  at  any  rate ! 
And  she  said  she  was  to  be  Muriel's  servant ! 

The  chief  led  them  back  to  the  shore,  talking 
volubly  all  the  way  in  Polynesian  to  Felix.  His  dialect 
differed  so  much  from  the  Fijian  that  when  he  spoke 
first  Felix  could  hardly  follow  him.  But  he  gathered 
vaguely,  nevertheless,  that  they  were  to  be  well  housed 
and  fed  for  the  present  at  the  public  expense ;  and  even 
that  something  which  the  chief  clearly  regarded  as  a 
very  great  honor  was  in  store  for  them  in  the  future. 
Whatever  these  people's  particular  superstition  might 
be,  it  seemed  pretty  evident  at  least  that  it  told  in  the 
strangers'  favor.  Felix  almost  began  to  hope  they 
might  manage  to  live  there  pretty  tolerably  for  the 
next  two  or  three  weeks,  and  perhaps  to  signal  in  time 
to  some  passing  Australian  liner. 

The  rest  of  that  wonderful  eventful  day  was  wholly 
occupied  with  practical  details.  Before  long,  two  ad- 
jacent huts  were  found  for  them,  near  the  shore  of  the 
lagoon  ;  and  Felix  noticed  with  pleasure,  not  only  that 
the  huts  themselves  were  new  and  clean,  but  also  that 
the  chief  took  great  care  to  place  round  both  of  them 
a  single  circular  line  of  white  coral-sand,  like  the  one 
he  had  noticed  at  Tu-Kila-Kila's  palace-temple.  He 
felt  sure  this  white  line  made  the  space  within  taboo. 
No  native  would  dare  without  leave  to  cross  it. 

When  the  line  was  well  marked  out  round  the  two 
huts  together,  the  chief  went  away  for  a  while,  leaving 
the  Europeans  within  their  broad  white  circle,  guarded 
by  an  angry-looking  band  of  natives  with  long  spears 
at  rest,  all  pointed  inward.  The  natives  themselves 
stood  well  without  the  ring,  but  the  points  of  their 


52     ,  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

Bpears  almost  reached  the  line,  and  it  was  clear  they 
would  not  for  the  present  permit  the  Europeans  to 
leave  the  charmed  circle. 

Presently,  the  chief  returned  again,  followed  by  two 
other  natives  in  official  costumes.  One  of  them  was  a 
tall  and  handsome  young  man,  dressed  in  a  long  robe 
or  cloak  of  }Yello\v  feathers.  The  other  was  stouter, 
and  perhaps  forty  or  thereabouts  ;  he  wore  a  short  cape 
of  white  albatross  plumes,  with  a  girdle  of  shells  at  his 
waist,  interspersed  with  red  coral. 

"  The  King  of  Fire  will  make  Taboo,"  the  chief  said 
solemnly. 

The  young  man  with  the  cloak  of  yellow  feathers 
stepped  forward  and  spoke,  toeing  the  line  with  his  left 
foot,  and  brandishing  a  lighted  stick  in  his  right  hand. 
"  Taboo  !  Taboo  !  Taboo !"  he  cried  aloud,  with  em- 
phasis. "  If  any  man  dare  to  transgress  this  line  with- 
out leave,  I  burn  him  to  ashes.  If  any  woman,  I 
scorch  her  to  a  cinder.  Taboo  to  the  King  of  the  Rain 
and  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds.  Taboo  !  Taboo  !  Ta- 
boo !     Korong !     I  say  it." 

He  stepped  back  into  the  ranks  with  an  air  of  duty 
performed.  The  chief  looked  about  him  curiously  a 
moment.  "  The  King  of  Water  will  make  Taboo,"  he 
repeated,  after  a  pause,  in  the  same  deep  tone  of  pro- 
found conviction. 

The  stouter  man  in  the  short  white  cape  stepped  for- 
ward in  his  turn.  He  toed  the  line  with  his  naked  left 
foot ;  in  his  brown  right  hand  he  carried  a  calabash  of 
water.  "  Taboo !  Taboo !  Taboo !"  he  exclaimed  aloud, 
pouring  out  the  water  upon  the  ground  symbolically. 
"  If  any  man  dare  to  transgress  this  line  without  leave, 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  53 

I  drown  him  in  his  canoe.  If  any  woman,  I  drag  her 
alive  into  the  spring  as  she  fetches  water.  Taboo  to 
the  King  of  the  Rain  and  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds. 
Taboo  !     Taboo  !     Taboo !     Korong  !     I  say  it." 

"  What  does  it  all  mean  ?"  Muriel  whispered,  terrified. 

Felix  explained  to  her,  as  far  as  he  could,  in  a  few 
hurried  sentences.  "  There's  only  one  word  in  it  I 
don't  understand,"  he  added  hastily,  "  and  that's  Ko- 
rong. It  doesn't  occur  in  Fiji.  They  keep  saying 
we're  Korong,  whatever  that  may  mean  ;  and  evidently 
they  attach  some  very  great  importance  to  it." 

"  Let  the  Shadows  come  forward,"  the  chief  said, 
looking  up  with  an  air  of  dignity. 

A  good-looking  young  man,  and  the  girl  who  said 
her  name  was  Mali,  stepped  forth  from  the  crowd,  and 
fell  on  their  knees  before  him. 

The  chief  laid  his  hand  on  the  young  man's  shoulder 
and  raised  him  up.  "  The  Shadow  of  the  King  of  the 
Rain,"  he  cried,  turning  him  three  times  round.  "Fol- 
low him  in  all  his  incomings  and  his  outgoings,  and 
serve  him  faithfully  !  Taboo  !  Taboo  !  Pass  within 
the  sacred  circle !" 

He  clapped  his  hands.  The  young  man  crossed  the 
line  with  a  sort  of  reverent  reluctance,  and  took  his 
place  within  the  ring,  close  up  to  Felix. 

The  chief  laid  his  hand  on  Mali's  shoulder.  "  The 
Shadow  of  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds,"  he  said,  turning 
her  three  times  round.  "Follow  her  in  all  her  incom- 
ings and  her  outgoings,  and  serve  her  faithfully.  Ta- 
boo !     Taboo  !     Pass  within  the  sacred  circle  !" 

Then  he  waved  both  hands  to  Felix.  "  Go  where 
you  will  now,"  he  said.     "  Your  Shadow  will  follow 


54:  THE    GREAT   TABOO. 

you.  You  are  free  as  the  rain  that  drops  where  it  will. 
You  are  as  free  as  the  clouds  that  roam  through  heav- 
en.    No  man  will  hinder  you." 

And  in  a  moment  the  spearmen  dropped  their 
spears  in  concert,  the  crowd  fell  back,  and  the  villa- 
gers dispersed  as  if  by  magic  to  their  own  houses. 

But  Felix  and  Muriel  were  left  alone  beside  their 
huts,  guarded  only  in  silence  by  their  two  mystic 
Shadows. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FIRST   DAYS  IN  BOUPARI. 


Tiikoughout  that  day  the  natives  brought  them  from 
time  to  time  numerous  presents  of  yam,  bananas,  and 
bread-fruit,  neatly  arranged  in  little  palm-leaf  baskets. 
A  few  of  them  brought  eggs  as  well,  and  one  offering 
even  included  a  live  chicken.  But  the  people  who 
brought  them,  and  who  were  mostly  young  girls  just 
entering  upon  womanhood,  did  not  venture  to  cross 
the  white  line  of  coral-sand  that  surrounded  the  huts ; 
they  laid  down  their  presents,  with  many  salaams,  on 
the  ground  outside,  and  then  waited  with  a  half-star- 
tled, half-reverent  air  for  one  or  other  of  the  two  Shad- 
ows to  come  out  and  fetch  them.  As  soon  as  the  bask- 
ets were  carried  well  within  the  marked  line,  the  young- 
girls  exhibited  every  sign  of  pleasure,  and  calling  aloud, 
"  Korong  !  Korong  !" — that  mysterious  Poljnesian 
word  of  whose  import  Felix  was  ignorant — the}'  retired 
once  more  by  tortuous  paths  through  the  surrounding 
jungle. 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  55 

"  Why  do  they  bring  us  presents  ?"  Felix  asked  at 
last  of  his  Shadow,  after  this  curious  pantomime  had 
been  performed  some  three  or  four  times.  "Are  they 
always  going  to  keep  us  in  such  plenty  ?" 

The  Shadow  looked  back  at  him  with  an  air  of  con- 
siderable surprise.  "  They  bring  presents,  of  course," 
he  said  in  his  own  tongue,  "  because  they  are  badly  in 
want  of  rain.  We  have  had  much  drought  of  late  in 
Boupari ;  we  need  water  from  heaven.  The  banana- 
bushes  wither ;  the  flowers  on  the  bread-fruit  tree  do 
not  swell  to  bread-fruit ;  the  yams  are  thirsty.  There- 
fore the  fathers  send  their  daughters  with  presents, 
maidens  of  the  villages,  all  marriageable  girls,  to  ask 
for  rainfall.  But  they  will  always  provide  for  you, 
and  also  for  the  Queen,  however  you  behave ;  for  you 
are  both  Korong.  Tu-Kila-Kila  has  said  so,  and  Hea- 
ven has  accepted  you." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  Korong?"  Felix  asked,  with 
some  trepidation. 

The  Shadow  merely  looked  back  at  him  with  a  sort 
of  blank  surprise  that  anybody  should  be  ignorant  of 
so  simple  a  conception.  "Why,  Korong  is  Korong," 
he  answered,  aghast.  "You  are  Korong  yourself.  The 
Queen  of  the  Clouds  is  Korong,  too.  You  are  both 
Korong ;  that  is  why  they  all  treat  you  with  such  re- 
spect and  reverence." 

And  that  was  as  much  as  Felix  could  elicit  by  his 
subtlest  questions  from  his  taciturn  Shadow. 

In  fact,  it  was  clear  that  in  the  open,  at  least,  the 
Shadow  was  averse  to  being  observed  in  familiar  con- 
versation with  Felix.  During  the  heat  of  the  day, 
however,  when  they  sat  alone  within  the  hut,  he  was 


56  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

much  more  communicative.  Then  he  launched  forth 
pretty  freely  into  talk  about  the  island  and  its  life, 
which  would  no  doubt  have  largely  enlightened  Felix, 
had  it  not  been  for  two  drawbacks  to  their  means 
of  inter-communication.  In  the  first  place,  the  Bou- 
pari  dialect,  though  agreeing  in  all  essentials  with  the 
Polynesian  of  Fiji,  nevertheless  contained  a  great 
many  words  and  colloquial  expressions  unknown  to  the 
Fijians ;  this  being  particularly  the  case,  as  Felix  soon 
remarked,  in  the  whole  vocabulary  of  religious  rites 
and  ceremonies.  And  in  the  second  place,  the  Shadow 
was  so  rigidly  bound  by  his  own  narrow  and  insular 
set  of  ideas,  that  he  couldn't  understand  the  difficulty 
Felix  felt  in  throwing  himself  into  them.  Over  and 
over  again,  when  Felix  asked  him  to  explain  some 
word  or  custom,  he  would  repeat,  with  naive  impati- 
ence, "Why,  Korong  is  Korong,"  or,  "Tula  is  just 
Tula;  even  a  child  must  surely  know  what  Tula  is; 
much  more  yourself,  who  are  indeed  Korong,  and  who 
have  come  from  the  sun  to  bring  fresh  fire  to  us." 

In  the  adjoining  hut,  Muriel,  who  was  now  begin- 
ning in  some  small  degree  to  get  rid  of  her  most  press- 
ing fear  for  the  immediate  future,  and  whom  the  ob- 
vious reality  of  the  taboo  had  reassured  for  the  mo- 
ment, sat  with  Mali,  her  own  particular  Shadow,  un- 
ravelling the  mystery  of  the  girl's  knowledge  of 
English. 

Mali,  indeed,  like  the  other  Shadow,  showed  every 
disposition  to  indulge  in  abundant  conversation,  as  soon 
as  she  found  herself  well  within  the  hut,  alone  with 
her  mistress,  and  secluded  from  the  prying  eyes  of  all 
the  other  islanders. 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  57 

"  Don't  you  be  afraid,  missy,"  she  said,  with  genuine 
kindliness  in  her  tone,  as  soon  as  the  gifts  of  yam  and 
bread-fruit  had  all  been  duly  housed  and  garnered. 
"No  harm  come  to  you.  You  Korong,  you  know. 
You  very  great  Taboo.  Tu-Kila-Kila  send  King  of 
Fire  and  King  of  Water  to  make  taboo  over  you,  so 
nobody  hurt  you." 

Muriel  burst  into  tears  at  the  sound  of  her  own  lan- 
guage from  those  dusky  lips,  and  exclaimed  through 
her  sobs,  clinging  to  the  girl's  hand  for  comfort  as  she 
spoke,  "Why,  how  did  you  ever  come  to  speak  Eng- 
lish ?— tell  me." 

Mali  looked  up  at  her  with  a  half -astonished  air. 
"  Oh,  I  servant  in  Queensland,  of  course,  missy,"  she 
answered,  with  great  composure.  "  Labor  vessel  come 
to  my  island,  far  away,  four,  five  years  ago,  steal  boy, 
steal  woman.  My  papa  just  kill  my  mamma,  because 
he  angry  with  her,  so  no  want  daughters.  So  my  papa 
sell  me  and  my  sister  for  plenty  rum,  plenty  tabacco, 
to  gentlemen  in  labor  vessel.  Gentlemen  in  labor  ves- 
sel take  Jani  and  me  away,  away,  to  Queensland.  Big 
sea;  long  voyage.  We  stop  there  three  yam — three 
years — do  service;  then  great  chief  in  Queensland  send 
us  back  to  my  island.  My  island  too  far  away  ;  gentle- 
man on  ship  not  find  it  out;  so  he  land  us  in  little  boat 
on  Boupari.  Boupari  people  make  temple  slave  of  us." 
And  that  was  all;  to  her  quite  a  commonplace,  every- 
day history. 

"  I  see,"  Muriel  cried.  "  Then  you've  been  for  three 
years  in  Australia !  And  there  you  learned  English. 
Why,  what  did  you  do  there  ?" 

Mali  looked  back  at  her  with  the  same  matter-of-fact 


58  THE  GREAT  TABOO. 

air  of  composure  as  before.  "  Oh,  me  nurse  at  first," 
she  said  shortly.  "  Then  after,  me  housemaid,  live 
three  year  in  gentleman's  house,  good  gentleman  that 
buy  nie.  Take  care  of  little  girl;  clean  rooms;  do 
everything.  Me  know  how  to  make  English  lady  quite 
comfortable.  Me  tell  that  to  chief ;  that  make  him 
say,  '  Mali,  you  be  Queenie's  Shadow.' " 

To  Muriel  in  her  loneliness  even  such  companion- 
ship as  that  was  indeed  a  consolation.  "Oh,  I'm  so 
glad  you  told  him,"  she  cried.  "  If  we  have  to  stop 
here  long,  before  a  ship  takes  us  off,  it'll  be  so  nice  to 
have  you  here  all  the  time  with  me.  You  won't  go 
away  from  me  ever,  will  you?  You'll  always  stop 
with  me!" 

The  girl's  surprise  showed  more  profoundly  than 
ever.  "  Me  can't  go  away,"  she  answered  with  em- 
phasis. "Me  your  Shadow.  That  great  Taboo.  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  great  god.  If  me  go  away,  Tu-Kila-Kila 
kill  me  and  eat  me." 

Muriel  started  back  in  horror.  "But,  Mali,"  she 
said,  looking  hard  at  the  girl's  pleasant  brown  face, 
"  if  you  were  three  years  in  Australia,  you're  a  Chris- 
tian, surely  !" 

The  girl  nodded  her  head  in  passive  acquiescence. 
"  Me  Christian  in  Australia,"  she  answered.  "  Of 
course  me  Christian.  All  folk  make  Christian  when 
him  go  to  Queensland.  That  what  for  me  call  Mali, 
and  my  sister  Jani.  We  have  other  names  on  my  own 
island  ;  but  when  we  go  to  Queensland,  gentleman 
baptize  us,  call  us  Mali  and  Jani.  Me  Methodist  in 
Queensland.  Methodist  very  good.  But  Methodist 
god  no  live  in  Boupari.     Not  any  good  be  Methodist 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  59 

here  any  longer.  Tu-Kila-Kila  god  here.  Him  very 
powerful." 

"  What !  Not  that  dreadful  creature  they  took  us 
to  see  this  morning!"  Muriel  exclaimed  in  horror. 
"  Oh,  Mali,  you  can't  mean  to  say  they  think  he's  a 
god,  that  awful  man  there!" 

Mali  nodded  her  assent  with  profound  conviction. 
"Yes,  yes;  him  god,"  she  repeated  confidently.  "Him 
very  powerful.  My  sister  Jani  go  too  near  him  tem- 
ple, against  taboo — because  her  not  belong-a  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  temple ;  and  last  night,  when  it  great  feast,  plenty 
men  catch  Jani,  and  tie  him  up  in  rope ;  and  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  kill  him,  and  plenty  Boupari  men  help  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  eat  up  Jani." 

She  said  it  in  the  same  simple,  matter-of-fact  way  as 
she  had  said  that  she  was  a  nurse  for  three  years  in 
Queensland.  To  her  it  was  a  common  incident  of 
everyday  life.  Such  accidents  will  happen,  if  you 
break  taboo  and  go  too  near  forbidden  temples. 

But  Muriel  drew  back,  and  let  the  pleasant-looking 
brown  girl's  hand  drop  suddenly.  "  You  can't  mean 
it,"  she  cried.  "  You  can't  mean  he's  a  god !  Such  a 
wicked  man  as  that !     Oh,  his  very  look's  too  horrible." 

Mali  drew  back  in  her  turn  with  a  somewhat  terri- 
fied air,  and  peeped  suspiciously  around  her,  as  if  to 
make  sure  whether  any  one  was  listening.  "  Oh,  hush," 
she  said,  anxiously.  "  Don't  must  talk  like  that.  If 
Tu-Kila-Kila  hear,  him  scorch  us  up  to  ashes.  Him 
very  great  god  !     Him  good  !     Him  powerful !" 

"  How  can  he  be  good  if  he  does  such  awful  things  ?" 
Muriel  exclaimed,  energetically. 

Mali  peered  around  her  once  more  with  terrified  eyes 


60  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

in  the  same  an  easy  way.  "  Take  care,"  she  said  again. 
"Him  god  !  Him  powerful  !  Him  can  do  no  wrong. 
Him  King  of  the  Trees  !  Him  King  of  Heaven  !  On 
Boupari  island,  Methodist  god  not  much  ;  no  god  so 
great  like  Tn-Kila-Kila." 

"But  a  man  can't  be  a  god!"  Muriel  exclaimed  con- 
temptuously. "  He's  nothing  but  a  man  !  a  savage  !  a 
cannibal !" 

Mali  looked  back  at  her  in  wondering  surprise. 
"Not  in  Queensland,"  she  answered  calmly — to  her, 
all  the  world  naturally  divided  itself  into  Queensland 
and  Polynesia — "  no  god  in  Queensland.  Governor, 
him  very  great  chief;  but  him  no  god  like  Tu-Kila- 
Kila.  Methodist  god  in  sky,  him  only  god  that  live 
in  Queensland.  But  no  use  worship  Methodist  god 
over  here  in  Boupari.  Him  no  live  here.  Tu-Kila- 
Xila  live  here.  All  god  here  make  out  of  man.  Live 
in  man.  Korong!  What  for  you  say  a  man  can't  be 
a  god !  You  god  vourself !  AVhite  gentleman  there, 
god  !  Korong,  Korong.  Chief  put  you  in  Heaven,  so 
make  you  a  god.  People  pray  to  you  now.  People 
bring  you  presents." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say,"  Muriel  cried,  "they  bring 
me  these  things  because  they  think  me  a  goddess?" 

Mali  nodded  a  grave  assent.  "  Same  like  people 
give  money  in  church  in  Queensland,"  she  answered 
promptly.  "  Ask  you  make  rain,  make  plenty  crop, 
make  bread-fruit  grow,  make  banana,  make  plantain. 
You  Korong  now.  While  your  time  last,  Queenie, 
people  give  you  plenty  present." 

"While  my  time  last?"  Muriel  repeated,  with  a  cu- 
rious sense  of  discomfort  creeping  over  her  slowly. 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  §\ 

The  girl  nodded  an  easy  assent.  "Yes,  while  your 
time  last,"  she  answered,  laving  a  small  bundle  of  palm- 
leaves  at  Muriel's  back  by  way  of  a  cushion.  "  For 
now  you  Korong.  By-and-by,  Korong  pass  to  some- 
body else.  This  year,  you  Korong.  So  people  wor- 
ship you.'1 

But  nothing  that  Muriel  could  say  would  induce  the 
girl  further  to  explain  her  meaning.  She  shook  her 
head  and  looked  very  wise.  "  When  a  god  come  into 
somebody,"  she  said,  nodding  towards  Muriel  in  a 
mysterious  way,  "then  him  god  himself;  him  Korong. 
"When  the  god  go  away  from  him,  him  Korong  no 
longer  ;  somebody  else  Korong.  Queenie  Korong  now ; 
so  people  worship  him.  While  him  time  last,  people 
plenty  kind  to  him." 

The  day  passed  away,  and  night  came  on.  As  it  ap- 
proached, heavy  clouds  drifted  up  from  eastward. 
Mali  busied  herself  with  laying  out  a  rough  bed  in  the 
hut  for  Muriel,  and  making  her  a  pillow  of  soft  moss 
and  the  curious  lichen-like  material  that  hangs  parasitic 
from  the  trees,  and  is  commonly  known  as  "  old  man's 
beard."  As  both  Mali  and  Felix  assured  her  confi- 
dently no  harm  would  come  to  her  within  so  strict  a 
Taboo,  Muriel,  worn  out  with  fatigue  and  terror,  lay 
down  at  last  and  slept  soundly  on  this  native  substitute 
for  a  bedstead.  She  slept  without  dreaming,  while 
Mali  lay  at  her  feet,  ready  at  a  moment's  call.  It  was 
all  so  strange;  and  yet  she  was  too  utterly  wearied  to 
do  otherwise  than  sleep,  in  spite  of  her  strange  and 
terrible  surroundings. 

Felix  slept,  too,  for  some  hours,  but  woke  with  a 
start  in  the  night.     It  was  raining  heavily.     He  could 


62  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

hear  the  loud  patter  of  a  tierce  tropical  shower  on  the 
roof  of  his  hut.  His  Shadow,  at  his  feet,  slept  still 
unmoved;  but  when  Felix  rose  on  his  elbow,  the 
Shadow  rose  on  a  sudden,  too,  and  confronted  him 
curiously.  The  young  man  heard  the  rain  ;  then  he 
bowed  down  his  face  with  an  awed  air,  not  visible,  but 
audible,  in  the  still  darkness.  "  It  has  come  !"  he  said 
with  superstitious  terror.  "It  has  corns  at  last!  my 
lord  has  brought  it !" 

After  that,  Felix  lay  awake  for  some  hours,  hearing 
the  rain  on  the  roof,  and  puzzled  in  his  own  head  by  a 
half- uncertain  memory.  What  was  it  in  his  school 
reading  that  that  ceremony  with  the  water  indefinitely 
reminded  him  of?  Wasn't  there  some  Greek  or  Ro- 
man superstition  about  shaking  your  head  when  water 
was  poured  upon  it?  What  could  that  superstition  be, 
and  what  light  might  it  cast  on  that  mysterious  cere- 
mony? He  wished  he  could  remember;  but  it  was  so 
long  since  he'd  read  it,  and  he  never  cared  much  at 
school  for  Greek  or  Roman  antiquities. 

Suddenly,  in  a  lull  of  the  rain,  the  whole  context  at 
once  came  back  with  a  rush  to  him.  He  remembered 
now  he  had  read  it,  some  time  or  other,  in  some  classi- 
cal dictionary.  It  was  a  custom  connected  with  Greek 
sacrifices.  The  officiating  priest  poured  water  or  wine 
on  the  head  of  the  sheep,  bullock,  or  other  victim.  If 
the  victim  shook  its  head  and  knocked  off  the  drops, 
that  was  a  sign  that  it  was  fit  for  the  sacrifice,  and  that 
the  god  accepted  it.  If  the  victim  trembled  visibly, 
that  was  a  most  favorable  omen.  If  it  stood  quite  still 
and  didn't  move  its  neck,  then  the  god  rejected  it  as 
unfit  for  his  purpose.    Couldn't  that  be  the  meaning 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  63 

of  the  ceremony  performed  on  Muriel  and  himself  in 
"Heaven"  that  morning?  Were  they  merely  intend- 
ed as  human  sacrifices?  Were  they  to  be  kept  mean- 
while and,  as  it  were,  fed  up  for  the  slaughter?  It 
was  too  horrible  to  believe ;  yet  it  almost  looked 
like  it. 

He  wished  he  knew  the  meaning  of  that  strange 
word  "  Korong."  Clearly,  it  contained  the  true  key 
to  the  mystery. 

Anyhow,  he  had  always  his  trusty  knife.  If  the 
worst  came  to  the  worst — those  wretches  should  never 
harm  his  spotless  Muriel. 

For  he  loved  her  to-night;  he  would  watch  over  her 
and  protect  her.  He  would  save  her  at  least  from  the 
deadliest  of  insults. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

INTERCHANGE   OF   CIVILITIES. 

All  night  long,  without  intermission,  the  heavy  trop- 
ical rain  descended  in  torrents ;  at  sunrise  it  ceased, 
and  a  bright  blue  vault  of  sky  stood  in  a  spotless  dome 
over  the  island  of  Boupari. 

As  soon  as  the  sun  was  well  risen,  and  the  rain  had 
ceased,  one  shy  native  girl  after  another  came  strag- 
gling up  timidly  to  the  white  line  that  marked  the  ta- 
boo round  Felix  and  Muriel's  huts.  They  came  with 
more  baskets  of  fruit  and  eggs.  Humbly  saluting  three 
times  as  they  drew  near,  they  laid  down  their  gifts 
modestly  just  outside  the  line,  with  many  loud  ejacu- 


f54  THE    GREAT    TABOO. 

Iations  of  praise  and  gratitude  to  the  gods  in  their  own 
language. 

"  What  do  they  say  C  Muriel  asked,  in  a  dazed  and 
frightened  way,  looking  out  of  the  hut  door,  and  turn- 
ing in  wonder  to  Mali. 

"  They  say,  '  Thank  you,  Queenie,  for  rain  and 
fruits,' "  Mali  answered,  unconcerned,  bustling  about 
in  the  hut.  "  Missy  want  to  wash  him  face  and  hands 
this  morning?  Lady  always  wash  every  day  over 
yonder  in  Queensland." 

Muriel  nodded  assent.  It  was  all  so  strange  to  her. 
But  Mali  went  to  the  door  and  beckoned  carelessly  to 
one  of  the  native  girls  just  outside,  who  drew  near  the 
line  at  the  summons,  with  a  somewhat  frightened  air, 
putting  one  finger  to  her  mouth  in  coyly  uncertain 
savage  fashion. 

"  Fetch  me  water  from  the  spring !"  Mali  said,  au- 
thoritatively, in  Polynesian.  Without  a  moment's  de- 
k}'-  the  girl  darted  off  at  the  top  of  her  speed,  and  soon 
returned  with  a  large  calabash  full  of  fresh  cool  water, 
which  she  lay  down  respectfully  by  the  taboo  line,  not 
daring  to  cross  it. 

"  Why  didn't  you  get  it  yourself  ?"  Muriel  asked  of 
her  Shadow,  rather  relieved  than  otherwise  that  Mali 
hadn't  left  her.  It  was  something  in  these  dire  straits 
to  have  somebody  always  near  who  could  at  least  speak 
a  little  English. 

Mali  started  back  in  surprise.  "  Oh,  that  would 
never  do,"  she  answered,  catching  a  colloquial  phrase 
she  had  often  heard  long  before  in  Queensland.  "  Me 
missy's  Shadow.  That  great  Taboo.  If  me  go  away 
out  of  missy's  sight,  very  big  sin — very  big  danger. 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  65 

Man-a-Boupari  catch  rae  and  kill  me  like  Jani,  for  no 
me  stop  and  wait  all  the  time  on  missy." 

It  was  clear  that  human  life  was  held  very  cheap  on 
the  island  of  Boupari. 

Muriel  made  her  scanty  toilet  in  the  hut  as  well  as 
she  was  able,  with  the  calabash  and  water,  aided  by  a 
rough  shell  comb  which  Mali  had  provided  for  her. 
Then  she  breakfasted,  not  ill,  off  eggs  and  fruit,  which 
Mali  cooked  with  some  rude  native  skill  over  the  open- 
air  fire  without  in  the  precincts. 

After  breakfast,  Felix  came  in  to  inquire  how  she 
had  passed  the  night  in  her  new  quarters.  Already 
Muriel  felt  how  odd  was  the  contrast  between  the  quiet 
politeness  of  his  manner  as  an  English  gentleman  and 
the  strange  savage  surroundings  in  which  they  both 
now  found  themselves.  Civilization  is  an  attribute  of 
communities ;  we  necessarily  leave  it  behind  when  we 
find  ourselves  isolated  among  barbarians  or  savages. 
But  culture  is  a  purely  personal  and  individual  posses- 
sion ;  we  carry  it  with  us  wherever  we  go ;  and  no 
circumstances  of  life  can  ever  deprive  us  of  it. 

As  they  sat  there  talking,  with  a  deep  and  abiding 
sense  of  awe  at  the  change  (Muriel  more  conscious  than 
ever  now  of  how  deep  was  her  interest  in  Felix  Thurs- 
tan,  who  represented  for  her  all  that  was  dearest  and 
best  in  England),  a  curious  noise,  as  of  a  discordant 
drum  or  tom-tom,  beaten  in  a  sort  of  recurrent  tune, 
was  heard  towards  the  hills ;  and  at  its  very  first  sound 
both  the  Shadows,  flinging  themselves  upon  their  faces 
with  every  sign  of  terror,  endeavored  to  hide  them- 
selves under  the  native  mats  with  which  the  bare  little 
hut  was  roughly  carpeted. 
5 


60  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

""What's  the  matter?"  Felix  cried,  in  English,  to 
Mali ;  for  Muriel  had  already  explained  to  him  how 
the  girl  had  picked  up  some  knowledge  of  our  tongue 
in  Queensland. 

Mali  trembled  in  every  limb,  so  that  she  could  hardly 
speak.  "  Tu-Kila-Kila  come,"  she  answered,  all  breath- 
less. "  ISo  blackfellow  look  at  him.  Burn  blackfellow 
up.  You  and  Missy  Korong.  All  right  for  you.  Go 
out  to  meet  him  !" 

"  Tu-Kila-Kila  is  coming,"  the  young  man-Shadow 
said,  in  Polynesian,  almost  in  the  same  breath,  and  no 
less  tremulously.  "  We  dare  not  look  upon  his  face 
lest  he  burn  us  to  ashes.  He  is  a  very  great  Taboo. 
His  face  is  fire.  But  you  two  are  gods.  Step  forth 
to  receive  him." 

Felix  took  Muriel's  hand  in  his,  somewhat  trembling 
himself,  and  led  her  forth  on  to  the  open  space  in  front 
of  the  huts  to  meet  the  man-god.  She  followed  him 
like  a  child.  She  was  woman  enough  for  that.  She 
had  implicit  trust  in  him. 

As  they  emerged,  a  strange  procession  met  their 
eyes  unawares,  coming  down  the  zigzag  path  that  led 
from  the  hills  to  the  shore  of  the  lagoon,  where  their 
huts  were  situated.  At  its  head  marched  two  men  — 
tall,  straight,  and  supple — wearing  huge  feather  masks 
over  their  faces,  and  beating  tom-toms,  decorated  with 
long  strings  of  shiny  cowries.  After  them,  in  order, 
came  a  sort  of  hollow  square  of  chiefs  or  warriors,  sur- 
rounding with  fan-palms  a  central  object  all  shrouded 
from  the  view  with  the  utmost  precaution.  This  cen- 
tral object  was  covered  with  a  huge  regal  umbrella, 
from  whose  edge  hung  rows  of  small  nautilus  and  other 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  67 

shells,  so  as  to  form  a  kind  of  screen,  like  the  Japanese 
portieres  now  so  common  in  English  doorways.  Two 
supporters  held  it  up,  one  on  either  side,  in  long  cloaks 
of  feathers.  Under  the  umbrella,  a  man  seemed  to 
move ;  and  as  he  approached  the  natives,  to  right  and 
left,  fled  precipitately  to  their  huts,  snatching  up  their 
naked  little  ones  from  the  ground  as  they  went,  and 
crying  aloud,  "Taboo,  Taboo!  He  comes!  he  comes! 
Tu-Kila-Kila !     Tu-Kila-Kila !" 

The  procession  wound  slowly  on,  unheeding  these 
common  creatures,  till  it  reached  the  huts.  Then  the 
chiefs  who  formed  the  hollow  square  fell  back  one  by 
one,  and  the  man  under  the  umbrella,  with  his  two 
supporters,  came  forward  boldly.  Felix  noticed  that 
they  crossed  without  scruple  the  thick  white  line  of 
sand  which  all  the  other  natives  so  carefully  respected. 
The  man  within  the  umbrella  drew  aside  the  curtain 
of  hanging  nautilus  shells.  His  face  was  covered  with 
a  thin  mask  of  paper  mulberry  bark ;  but  Felix  knew 
he  was  the  self-same  person  whom  they  had  seen  the 
day  before  in  the  central  temple. 

Tu-Kila-Kila's  air  was  more  insolent  and  arrogant 
than  even  before.  He  was  clearly  in  high  spirits. 
"  You  have  done  well,  O  King  of  the  Rain,"  he  said, 
turning  gayly  to  Felix;  "and  you,  too,  O  Queen  of 
the  Clouds ;  you  have  done  right  bravely.  We  have 
all  acquitted  ourselves  as  our  people  would  wish.  We 
have  made  our  showers  to  descend  abundantly  from 
heaven ;  we  have  caused  the  crops  to  grow ;  we  have 
wetted  the  plantain  bushes.  See ;  Tu-Kila-Kila,  who 
is  so  great  a  god,  has  come  from  his  own  home  on  the 
hills  to  greet  you." 


6S  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

"  It  has  certainly  rained  in  the  night,"  Felix  an- 
swered, dryly. 

But  Tu-Kila-Kila  was  not  to  be  put  off  thus.  Ad- 
justing his  thin  mask  or  veil  of  bark,  so  as  to  hide  his 
face  more  thoroughly  from  the  inferior  god,  he  turned 
round  once  more  to  the  chiefs,  who  even  so  hardly 
dared  to  look  openly  upon  him.  Then  he  struck  an 
attitude.  The  man  was  clearly  bursting  with  spiritual 
pride.  He  knew  himself  to  be  a  god,  and  was  filled 
with  the  insolence  of  his  supernatural  power.  "  See, 
my  people,"  he  cried,  holding  up  his  hands,  palm  out- 
ward, in  his  accustomed  god-like  way ;  "  I  am  indeed 
a  great  deity — Lord  of  Heaven,  Lord  of  Earth,  Life 
of  the  World,  Master  of  Time,  Measurer  of  the  Sun's 
Course,  Spirit  of  Growth,  Creator  of  the  Harvest, 
Master  of  Mortals,  Bestower  of  Breath  upon  Men, 
Chief  Pillar  of  Heaven  !" 

The  warriors  bowed  down  before  their  bloated  mas- 
ter with  unquestioning  assent.  "  Giver  of  Life  to  all 
the  host  of  the  gods,"  they  cried,  "you  are  indeed  a 
mighty  one.  Weigher  of  the  equipoise  of  Heaven  and 
Earth,  we  acknowledge  your  might ;  we  give  you 
thanks  eternally." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  swelled  with  visible  importance.  "  Did 
I  not  tell  you,  my  meat,"  he  exclaimed,  "I  would 
bring  you  new  gods,  great  spirits  from  the  sun,  fetch- 
ers  of  fire  from  my  bright  home  in  the  heavens  ?  And 
have  they  not  come  ?  Are  they  not  here  to-day  ?  Have 
they  not  brought  the  precious  gift  of  fresh  fire  with 
them?" 

"  Tu-Kila-Kila  speaks  true,"  the  chiefs  echoed,  sub- 
missively, with  bent  heads. 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  69 

"  Did  I  not  make  one  of  them  King  of  the  Rain  ?" 
Tu-Kila-Kila  asked  once  more,  stretching  one  hand 
towards  the  sky  with  theatrical  magnificence.  "  Did  I 
not  declare  the  other  Queen  of  the  Clouds  in  Heaven  ? 
And  have  I  not  caused  them  to  bring  down  showers 
this  night  upon  our  crops  ?  Has  not  the  dry  earth 
drunk  ?  Am  I  not  the  great  god,  the  savior  of  Bou- 
pari  ?" 

"  Tu-Kila-Kila  says  well,"  the  chiefs  responded,  once 
more,  in  unanimous  chorus. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  struck  another  attitude  with  childish 
self-satisfaction.  "I  go  into  the  hut  to  speak  with  my 
ministers,"  he  said,  grandiloquently.  "  Fire  and  Water, 
wait  you  here  outside  while  I  enter  and  speak  with  my 
friends  from  the  sun,  whom  I  have  brought  for  the 
salvation  of  the  crops  to  Boupari." 

The  King  of  Fire  and  the  King  of  Water,  support- 
ing the  umbrella,  bowed  assent  to  his  words.  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  motioned  Felix  and  Muriel  into  the  nearest 
hut.  It  was  the  one  where  the  two  Shadows  lay 
crouching  in  terror  among  the  native  mats.  As  the 
god  tried  to  enter,  the  two  cowering  wretches  set  up  a 
loud  shout,  "  Taboo  !  Taboo !  Mercy !  Mercy  !  Mer- 
cy !"  Tu-Kila-Kila  retreated  with  a  contemptuous 
smile.  "  I  want  to  see  you  alone,"  he  said,  in  Poly- 
nesian, to  Felix.  "  Is  the  other  hut  empty  ?  If  not,  go 
in  and  cut  their  throats  who  sit  there,  and  make  the 
place  a  solitude  for  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

"  There  is  no  one  in  the  hut,"  Felix  answered,  with 
a  nod,  concealing  his  disgust  at  the  command  as  far  as 
he  was  able. 

"  That  is  well,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  answered,  and  walked 


70  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

into  it  carelessly.  Felix  followed  him  close,  and  deemed 
it  best  to  make  Muriel  enter  also. 

As  soon  as  they  were  alone,  Tu-Kila-Kila's  manner 
altered  greatly.  "  Come,  now,"  he  said,  quite  genially, 
yet  with  a  curious  under-current  of  hate  in  his  steely 
gray  eye ;  "  we  three  are  all  gods.  We  who  are  in 
heaven  need  have  no  secrets  from  one  another.  Tell 
me  the  truth ;  did  you  really  come  to  us  direct  from 
the  sun,  or  are  you  sailing  gods,  dropped  from  a  great 
canoe  belonging  to  the  warriors  who  seek  laborers  for 
the  white  men  in  the  distant  country  ?" 

Felix  told  him  briefly,  in  as  few  words  as  possible, 
the  story  of  their  arrival. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  listened  with  lively  interest;  then  he 
said,  very  decisively,  with  great  bravado,  "  It  was  / 
who  made  the  big  wave  wash  your  sister  overboard. 
I  sent  it  to  your  ship.  I  wanted  a  Korong  just  now 
in  Boupari.     It  was  /  who  brought  you." 

"You  are  mistaken,"  Felix  said,  simply,  not  think- 
ing it  worth  while  to  contradict  him  further.  "It  was 
a  purely  natural  accident." 

"  Well,  tell  me,"  the  savage  god  went  on  once  more, 
eying  him  close  and  sharp,  "  they  say  you  have  brought 
fresh  fire  from  the  sun  with  you,  and  that  you  know 
how  to  make  it  burst  out  like  lightning  at  will.  My 
people  have  seen  it.  They  tell  me  the  wonder.  I  wish 
to  see  it  too.  We  are  all  gods  here ;  we  need  have  no 
secrets.  Only,  I  didn't  want  to  let  these  common  peo- 
ple outside  see  I  asked  you  to  show  me.  Make  fire 
leap  forth.     I  desire  to  behold  it." 

Felix  took  out  the  match-box  from  his  pocket,  and 
struck  a  vesta  carefully.    Tu-Kila-Kila  looked  on  with 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  fl 

profound  interest.  "It  is  wonderful,"  he  said,  taking 
the  vesta  in  his  own  hand  as  it  burned,  and  examining 
it  closely.  "I  have  heard  of  this  before,  but  I  have 
never  seen  it.  You  are  indeed  gods,  you  white  men, 
you  sailors  of  the  sea."  He  glanced  at  Muriel.  "  And 
the  woman,  too,"  he  said,  with  a  horrible  leer,  "  the 
woman  is  pretty." 

Felix  took  the  measure  of  his  man  at  once.  He 
opened  his  knife,  and  held  it  up  threateningly.  "See 
here,  fellow,"  he  said,  in  a  low,  slow  tone,  but  with 
great  decision,  "  if  you  dare  to  speak  or  look  like  that 
at  that  lady — god  or  no  god,  I'll  drive  this  knife 
straight  up  to  the  handle  in  your  heart,  though  your 
people  kill  me  for  it  afterwards  ten  .thousand  times 
over.  I  am  not  afraid  of  you.  These  savages  may  be 
afraid,  and  may  think  you  a  god ;  but  if  you  are,  then 
I  am  a  god  ten  thousand  times  stronger  than  you. 
One  more  word — one  more  look  like  that,  I  say — and 
I  plunge  this  knife  remorselessly  into  you." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  drew  back,  and  smiled  benignly.  Stal- 
wart ruffian  as  he  was,  and  absolute  master  of  his  own 
people's  lives,  he  was  yet  afraid  in  a  way  of  the  strange 
new-comer.  Yague  stories  of  the  men  with  white  faces 
— the  "  sailing  gods  " — had  reached  him  from  time  to 
time ;  and  though  only  twice  within  his  memory  had  Eu- 
ropean boats  landed  on  his  island,  he  yet  knew  enough 
of  the  race  to  know  that  they  were  at  least  very  pow- 
erful deities — more  powerful  with  their  weapons  than 
even  he  was.  Besides,  a  man  who  could  draw  down 
fire  from  heaven  with  a  piece  of  wax  and  a  little  metal 
box  might  surely  wither  him  to  ashes,  if  he  would,  as 
he  stood  before  him.    The  very  fact  that  Felix  bearded 


72  THE    GREAT    TABOO. 

him  thus  openly  to  his  face  astonished  and  somewhat 
terrified  the  superstitious  savage.  Everybody  else  on 
the  island  was  afraid  of  him  ;  then  certainly  a  man 
who  was  not  afraid  must  he  the  possessor  of  some  most 
efficacious  and  magical  medicine.  His  one  fear  now 
was  lest  his  followers  should  hear  and  discover  his  dis- 
comfiture. He  peered  about  him  cautiously,  with  that 
careful  gleam  shining  bright  in  his  eye ;  then  he  said 
with  a  leer,  in  a  very  low  voice,  "  We  two  need  not 
quarrel.  We  are  both  of  us  gods.  Neither  of  us  is 
the  stronger.  We  are  equal,  that's  all.  Let  us  live 
like  brothers,  not  like  enemies,  on  the  island." 

"I  don't  want  to  be  your  brother,"  Felix  answered, 
unable  to  conceal  his  loathing  any  more.  "  I  hate  and 
detest  you." 

"  What  does  he  say  ?"  Muriel  asked,  in  an  agony  of 
fear  at  the  savage's  black  looks.  "  Is  he  going  to 
kill  us?" 

"  No,"  Felix  answered,  boldly.  "  I  think  he's  afraid 
of  us.  He's  going  to  do  nothing.  You  needn't  fear 
him." 

"  Can  she  not  speak  ?"  the  savage  asked,  pointing 
with  his  finger  somewhat  rudely  towards  Muriel.  "  Has 
she  no  voice  but  this,  the  chatter  of  birds?  Does  she 
not  know  the  human  language  ?" 

"  She  can  speak,"  Felix  replied,  placing  himself  like 
a  shield  between  Muriel  and  the  astonished  savage. 
"  She  can  speak  the  language  of  the  people  of  our  dis- 
tant country  —  a  beautiful  language  which  is  as  far 
superior  to  the  speech  of  the  brown  men  of  Polynesia 
as  the  sun  in  the  heavens  is  superior  to  the  light  of  a 
candlenut.     But  she  can't  speak  the  wretched  tongue 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.       '  73 

of  you  Boupari  cannibals.  I  thank  Heaven  she  can't, 
for  it  saves  her  from  understanding  the  hateful  things 
your  people  would  say  of  her.  Now  go !  I  have  seen 
already  enough  of  you.  I  am  not  afraid.  Remember, 
I  am  as  powerful  a  god  as  you.  I  need  not  fear.  You 
cannot  hurt  me." 

A  baleful  light  gleamed  in  the  cannibal's  eye.  But 
he  thought  it  best  to  temporize.  Powerful  as  he  was 
on  his  island,  there  was  one  thing  yet  more  powerful 
by  far  than  he ;  and  that  was  Taboo — the  custom  and 
superstition  handed  down  from  his  ancestors.  These, 
strangers  were  Korong ;  he  dare  not  touch  them,  ex- 
cept in  the  way  and  manner  and  time  appointed  by 
custom.  If  he  did,  god  as  he  was,  his  people  them- 
selves would  turn  and  rend  him.  He  was  a  god,  but 
he  was  bound  on  every  side  by  the  strictest  taboos. 
He  dare  not  himself  offer  violence  to  Felix. 

So  he  turned  with  a  smile  and  bided  his  time.  He 
knew  it  would  come.  He  could  afford  to  laugh.  Then, 
going  to  the  door,  he  said,  with  his  grand  affable  man- 
ner to  his  chiefs  around,  "  I  have  spoken  with  the  gods, 
my  ministers,  within.  They  have  kissed  my  hands. 
My  rain  has  fallen.  All  is  well  in  the  land.  Arise, 
let  us  go  away  hence  to  my  temple." 

The  savages  put  themselves  in  marching  order  at 
once.  "  It  is  the  voice  of  a  god,"  they  said,  reverently. 
"  Let  us  take  back  Tu-Kila-Kila  to  his  temple  home. 
Let  us  escort  the  lord  of  the  divine  umbrella.  "Wherever 
he  is,  there  trees  and  plants  put  forth  green  leaves  and 
flourish.  At  his  bidding  flowers  bloom  and  springs 
of  water  rise  up  in  fountains.  His  presence  diffuses 
heavenly  blessings." 


74  THE    GREAT    TABOO. 

"I  think,"  Felix  said,  turning  to  poor,  terrified  Mu- 
riel, "  I've  sent  the  wretch  away  with  a  bee  in  his 
bonnet." 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

THE   CUSTOMS   OF   BOUPARI. 


Human  nature  cannot  always  keep  on  the  full  stretch 
of  excitement.  It  was  wonderful  to  both  Felix  and 
Muriel  how  soon  they  settled  down  into  a  quiet  rou- 
tine of  life  on  the  Island  of  Boupari.  A  week  passed 
away — two  weeks — three  weeks — and  the  chances  of 
release  seemed  to  grow  slenderer  and  slenderer.  All 
they  could  do  now  was  to  wait  for  the  stray  accident 
of  a  passing  ship,  and  then  try,  if  possible,  to  signal 
it,  or  to  put  out  to  it  in  a  canoe,  if  the  natives  would 
allow  them. 

Meanwhile,  their  lives  for  the  moment  seemed  fairly 
safe.  Though  for  the  first  few  days  they  lived  in  con- 
stant alarm,  this  feeling,  after  a  time,  gave  way  to  one 
of  comparative  security.  The  strange  institution  of 
Taboo  protected  them  more  efficiently  in  their  wattled 
huts  than  the  whole  police  force  of  London  could  have 
done  in  a  Belgravian  mansion.  There  thieves  break 
through  and  steal,  in  spite  of  bolts  and  bars  and  met- 
ropolitan constables;  but  at  Boupari  no  native,  how- 
ever daring  or  however  wicked,  would  ever  venture  to 
transgress  the  narrow  line  of  white  coral  sand  which 
protected  the  castaways  like  an  intangible  wall  from 
all  outer  interference.  Within  this  impalpable  ring- 
fence  they  were  absolutely  safe  from  all  rude  intrusion, 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  ?5 

save  that  of  the  two  Shadows,  who  waited  upon  them, 
day  and  night,  with  unfailing  willingness. 

In  other  respects,  considering  the  circumstances, 
their  life  was  an  easy  one.  The  natives  brought  them 
freely  of  their  simple  store — yam,  taro,  bread-fruit,  and 
cocoanut,  with  plenty  of  fish,  crabs,  and  lobsters,  as 
well  as  eggs  by  the  basketful,  and  even  sometimes 
chickens.  They  required  no  pay  beyond  a  nod  and  a 
smile,  and  went  away  happy  at  those  slender  recog- 
nitions. Felix  discovered,  in  fact,  that  they  had  got 
into  a  region  where  the  arid  generalizations  of  po- 
litical economy  do  not  apply;  where  Adam  Smith  is 
unread,  and  Mill  neglected ;  where  the  medium  of  ex- 
change is  an  unknown  quantity,  and  where  supply  and 
demand  readjust  themselves  continuously  by  simpler 
and  more  generous  principles  than  the  familiar  Euro- 
pean one  of  "  the  higgling  of  the  market." 

The  people,  too,  though  utter  savages,  were  not  in 
their  own  way  altogether  unpleasing.  It  was  their 
customs  and  their  superstitions,  rather  than  themselves, 
that  were  so  cruel  and  horrible.  Personally,  they 
seemed  for  the  most  part  simple-minded  and  good- 
natured  creatures.  At  first,  indeed,  Muriel  was  afraid 
to  venture  for  a  step  beyond  the  precincts  of  their  own 
huts:  and  it  was  long  before  she  could  make  up  her 
mind  to  go  alone  through  the  jungle  paths  with  Mali, 
unaccompanied  by  Felix.  But  by  degrees  she  learned 
that  she  could  walk  by  herself  (of  course,  with  the  in- 
evitable Shadow  ever  by  her  side)  over  the  whole  island, 
and  meet  everywhere  with  nothing  from  men,  women, 
and  children  but  the  utmost  respect  and  gracious  cour- 
tesy.    The  young  lads,  as  she  passed,  would  stand  aside 


76  THE    GREAT   TABOO. 

from  the  path,  with  downcast  eyes,  and  let  her  go  by 
with  all  the  politeness  of  chivalrous  English  gentlemen. 
The  old  men  would  raise  their  eyes,  but  cross  their 
hands  on  their  breasts,  and  stand  motionless  for  a  few 
minutes  till  she  got  almost  out  of  sight.  The  women 
would  bring  their  pretty  brown  babies  for  the  fair 
English  lady  to  admire  or  to  pat  on  the  head  ;  and  when 
Muriel  now  and  again  stooped  down  to  caress  some  fat 
little  naked  child,  lolling  in  the  dust  outside  the  hut, 
with  true  tropical  laziness,  the  mothers  would  run  up 
at  the  sight  with  delight  and  joy,  and  throw  themselves 
down  in  ecstasies  of  gratitude  for  the  notice  she  had 
taken  of  their  favored  little  ones.  "  The  gods  of 
Heaven,"  they  would  say,  with  every  sign  of  pleasure, 
"  have  looked  graciously  upon  our  Unaloa." 

At  first  Felix  and  Muriel  were  mainly  struck  with 
the  politeness  and  deference  which  the  natives  dis- 
played towards  them.  But  after  a  time  Felix  at  least 
began  to  observe,  behind  it  all,  that  a  certain  amount 
of  affection,  and  even  of  something  like  commiseration 
as  well,  seemed  to  be  mingled  with  the  respect  and 
reverence  showered  upon  them  by  their  hosts.  The 
women,  especially,  were  often  evidently  touched  by 
Muriel's  innocence  and  beauty.  As  she  walked  past 
their  huts  with  her  light,  girlish  tread  they  would 
come  forth  shyly,  bowing  many  times  as  they  ap- 
proached, and  offer  her  a  long  spray  of  the  flowering 
hibiscus,  or  a  pretty  garland  of  crimson  ti-leaves,  saying 
at  the  same  time,  many  times  over,  in  their  own  tongue, 
"  Receive  it,  Korong ;  receive  it,  Queen  of  the  Clouds ! 
You  are  good.  You  are  kind.  You  are  a  daughter  of 
the  Sun.     We  are  glad  you  have  come  to  us." 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  77 

A  young  girl  soon  makes  herself  at  home  anywhere  ; 
and  Muriel,  protected  alike  by  her  native  innocence 
and  by  the  invisible  cloak  of  Polynesian  taboo,  quick- 
ly learned  to  understand  and  to  sympathize  with  these 
poor  dusky  mothers.  One  morning,  some  weeks  after 
their  arrival,  she  passed  down  the  main  street  of  the 
village,  accompanied  by  Felix  and  their  two  attendants, 
and  reached  the  marae — the  open  forum  or  place  of 
public  assembly — which  stood  in  its  midst;  a  circular 
platform,  surrounded  by  bread-fruit  trees,  under  whose 
broad,  cool  shade  the  people  were  sitting  in  little  groups 
and  talking  together.  They  were  dressed  in  the  reg- 
ular old-time  festive  costume  of  Polynesia;  for  Bou- 
pari,  being  a  small  and  remote  island,  too  insignificant 
to  be  visited  by  European  ships,  retained  still  all  its 
aboriginal  heathen  manners  and  customs.  The  sight 
was,  indeed,  a  curious  and  picturesque  one.  The  girls, 
large-limbed,  soft-skinned,  and  with  delicately  rounded 
figures,  sat  on  the  ground,  laughing  and  talking,  with 
their  knees  crossed  under  them ;  their  wrists  were  en- 
cinctured  with  girdles  of  dark-red  dracoena  leaves,  their 
swelling  bosoms  half  concealed,  half  accentuated  by 
hanging  necklets  of  flowers.  Their  beautiful  brown 
arms  and  shoulders  were  bare  throughout ;  their  long, 
black  hair  was  gracefully  twined  and  knotted  with 
bright  scarlet  flowers.  The  men,  strong  and  stalwart, 
sat  behind  on  short  stools  or  lounged  on  the  buttressed 
roots  of  the  bread-fruit  trees,  clad  like  the  women  in 
narrow  waist-belts  of  the  long  red  dracoena  leaves,  with 
necklets  of  sharks'  teeth,  pendent  chain  of  pearly  shells, 
a  warrior's  cap  on  their  well-shaped  heads,  and  an  arm- 
let of  native  beans,  arranged  below  the  shoulder,  around 


78  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

their  powerful  arms.  Altogether,  it  was  a  striking  and 
beautiful  picture.  Muriel,  now  almost  released  from 
her  early  sense  of  fear,  stood  still  to  look  at  it. 

The  men  and  girls  were  laughing  and  chatting 
merrily  together.  Most  of  them  were  engaged  in  hold- 
ing up  before  them  line  mats ;  and  a  row  of  mulberry 
cloth,  spread  along  on  the  ground,  led  to  a  hut  near  one 
side  of  the  marae.  Towards  this  the  eyes  of  the  spec- 
tators were  turned.  "  What  is  it,  Mali  ?"  Muriel  whis- 
pered, her  woman's  instinct  leading  her  at  once  to  ex- 
pect that  something  special  wTas  going  on  in  the  way  of 
local  festivities. 

And  Mali  answered  at  once,  with  many  nods  and 
smiles,  "All  right,  Missy  Queenie.  Him  a  wedding,  a 
marriage." 

The  words  had  hardly  escaped  her  lips  when  a  very 
pretty  young  girl,  half  smothered  in  flowers,  and  decked 
out  in  beads  and  fancy  shells,  emerged  slowly  from  the 
hut,  and  took  her  way  with  stately  tread  along  the 
path  carpeted  with  native  cloth.  She  was  girt  round 
the  waist  with  rich-colored  mats,  which  formed  a  long 
train,  like  a  court  dress,  trailing  on  the  ground  five  or 
six  feet  behind  her. 

"That's  the  bride,  I  suppose,"  Muriel  whispered, 
now  really  interested  —  for  what  woman  on  earth, 
wherever  she  may  be,  can  resist  the  seductive  delights 
of  a  wedding  ? 

"  Yes,  her  a  bride,"  Mali  answered  ;  "  and  ladies  what 
follow,  them  her  bridesmaids." 

At  the  word,  six  other  girls,  similarly  dressed,  though 
without  the  train,  and  demure  as  nuns,  emerged  from 
the  hut  in  slow  order,  two  and  two,  behind  her. 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  79 

Muriel  and  Felix  moved  forward  with  natural  cu- 
riosity towards  the  scene.  The  natives,  now  ranged  in 
a  row  along  the  path,  with  mats  turned  inward,  made 
way  for  them  gladly.  All  seem  pleased  that  Heaven 
should  thus  auspiciously  honor  the  occasion  ;  and  the 
bride  herself,  as  well  as  the  bridegroom,  who,  decked  in 
shells  and  teeth,  advanced  from  the  opposite  side  along 
the  path  to  meet  her,  looked  up  with  grateful  smiles 
at  the  two  Europeans.  Muriel,  in  return,  smiled  her 
most  gracious  and  girlish  recognition.  As  the  bride 
drew  near,  she  couldn't  refrain  from  bending  forward 
a  little  to  look  at  the  girl's  really  graceful  costume.  As 
she  did  so,  the  skirt  of  her  own  European  dress  brushed 
for  a  second  against  the  bride's  train,  trailed  carelessly 
many  yards  on  the  ground  behind  her. 

Almost  before  they  could  know  what  had  happened, 
a  wild  commotion  arose,  as  if  by  magic,  in  the  crowd 
around  them.  Loud  cries  of  "  Taboo  !  Taboo  !"  mixed 
with  inarticulate  screams,  burst  on  every  side  from 
the  assembled  natives.  In  the  twinkling  of  an  eye 
they  were  surrounded  by  an  angry,  threatening  throng, 
who  didn't  dare  to  draw  near,  but,  standing  a  yard  or 
two  off,  drew  stone  knives  freely  and  shook  their 
fists,  scowling,  in  the  strangers'  faces.  The  change 
was  appalling  in  its  electric  suddenness.  Muriel 
drew  back  horrified,  in  an  agony  of  alarm.  "  Oh, 
what  have  I  done !"  she  cried,  piteously,  clinging  to 
Felix  for  support.  "  Why  on  earth  are  they  angry 
with  us  ?" 

"I  don't  know,"  Felix  answered,  taken  aback  him- 
self. "  I  can't  say  exactly  in  what  you've  transgressed. 
But  you  must,  unconsciously,  in  some  way  have  offended 


80  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

their  prejudices.  I  hope  it's  ifo-t  much.  At  any  rate 
they're  clearly  afraid  to  touch  us." 

"  Missy  Queenie  break  taboo,"  Mali  explained  at  once, 
with  Polynesian  frankness.  "  That  make  people  angry. 
So  him  want  to  kill  you.  Missy  Queenie  touch  bride 
with  end  of  her  dress.  Korong  may  smile  on  bride — 
that  very  good  luck ;  but  Korong  taboo ;  no  must  touch 
him.'" 

The  crowd  gathered  around  them,  still  very  threaten- 
ing in  attitude,  yet  clearly  afraid  to  approach  within 
arm's-length  of  the  strangers.  Muriel  was  much 
frightened  at  their  noise  and  at  their  frantic  gestures. 
"  Come  away,"  she  cried,  catching  Felix  by  the  arm 
once  more.  "Oh,  what  are  they  going  to  do  to  us? 
Will  they  kill  us  for  this  ?  I'm  so  horribly  afraid ! 
Oh,  why  did  I  ever  do  it !" 

The  poor  little  bride,  meanwhile,  left  alone  on  the 
carpet,  and  unnoticed  by  everybody,  sank  suddenly 
down  on  the  mats  where  she  stood,  buried  her  face  in 
her  hands,  and  began  to  sob  as  if  her  heart  would 
break.  Evidently,  something  very  untoward  of  some 
sort  had  happened  to  the  dusky  lady  on  her  wedding 
morning. 

The  final  touch  was  too  much  for  poor  Muriel's  over- 
wrought nerves.  She,  too,  gave  way  in  a  tempest  of 
sobs,  and,  subsiding  on  one  of  the  native  stools  hard  by, 
burst  into  tears  herself  with  half-hysterical  violence. 

Instantly,  as  she  did  so,  the  whole  assembly  seemed 
to  change  its  mind  again  as  if  by  contagious  magic. 
A  loud  shout  of  "  She  cries ;  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds 
cries  !"  went  up  from  all  the  assembled  mob  to  heaven. 
"  It  is  a  good  omen,"  Toko,  the  Shadow,  whispered  in 


THE  GREAT   TABOO.  81 

Polynesian  to  Felix,  seeing  his  puzzled  look.  "  We 
shall  have  plenty  of  rain  now ;  the  clouds  will  break ; 
our  crops  will  flourish."  Almost  before  she  under- 
stood it,  Muriel  was  surrounded  by  an  eager  and  friend- 
ly crowd,  still  afraid  to  draw  near,  but  evidently  anx- 
ious to  see  and  to  comfort  and  console  her.  Many  of 
the  women  eagerly  held  forward  their  native  mats, 
which  Mali  took  from  them,  and,  pressing  them  for  a 
second  against  Muriel's  eyes,  handed  them  back  with 
just  a  suspicion  of  wet  tears  left  glistening  in  the  cor- 
ner. The  happy  recipients  leaped  and  shouted  with 
joy.  "  No  more  drought !"  they  cried  merrily,  with 
loud  shouts  and  gesticulations.  "  The  Queen  of  the 
Clouds  is  good :  she  will  weep  well  from  heaven  upon 
my  yam  and  taro  plots !" 

Muriel  looked  up,  all  dazed,  and  saw,  to  her  intense 
surprise,  the  crowd  was  now  nothing  but  affection  and 
sympathy.  Slowly  they  gathered  in  closer  and  closer,  till 
they  almost  touched  the  hem  of  her  robe ;  then  the  men 
stood  by  respectfully,  laying  their  fingers  on  whatever 
she  had  wetted  with  her  tears,  while  the  women  and 
girls  took  her  hand  in  theirs  and  pressed  it  sympathet- 
ically. Mali  explained  their  meaning  with  ready  in- 
terpretation. "  No  cry  too  much,  them  say,"  she 
observed,  nodding  her  head  sagely.  "  Not  good  for 
Missy  Queenie  to  cry  too  much.  Them  say,  kind  lady, 
be  comforted." 

There  was  genuine  good-nature  in  the  way  they  con- 
soled her;  and  Felix  was  touched  by  the  tenderness  of 
those  savage  hearts ;  but  the  additional  explanation, 
given  him  in  Polynesian  by  his  own  Shadow,  tended 
somewhat  to  detract  from  the  disinterestedness  of  their 
6 


82  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

sympathy  :  "They  say,  k  It  is  good  for  the  Queen  of 
the  Clouds  to  weep,'  "  Toko  said,  with  frank  bluntness; 
" '  but  not  too  much — for  fear  the  rain  should  wash 
away  all  our  yam  and  taro  plants.' " 

By  this  time  the  little  bride  had  roused  herself  from 
her  stupor,  and,  smiling  away  as  if  nothing  had  hap- 
pened, said  a  few  words  in  a  very  low  voice  to  Felix's 
Shadow.  The  Shadow  turned  most  respectfully  to  his 
master,  and,  touching  his  sleeve-link,  which  was  of 
bright  gold,  said  in  a  very  doubtful  voice,  "  She  asks 
you,  oh  king,  will  you  allow  her,  just  for  to-day,  to 
wear  this  ornament?" 

Felix  unbuttoned  the  shining  bauble  at  once,  and 
was  about  to  hand  it  to  the  bride  with  polite  gallantry. 
"  She  may  wear  it  forever,  for  the  matter  of  that,  if 
she  likes,"  he  said  good-humoredly.  "  I  make  her  a 
present  of  it." 

But  the  bride  drew  back  as  before  in  speechless 
terror,  as  he  held  out  his  hand,  and  seemed  just  on  the 
point  of  bursting  out  into  tears  again  at  this  untoward 
incident.  The  Shadow  intervened  with  fortunate  per- 
ception of  the  cause  of  the  misunderstanding.  "Ko- 
rong  must  not  touch  or  give  anything  to  a  bride,"  he 
said,  quietly  ;  "  not  with  his  own  hand.  He  must  not 
lay  his  finger  on  her ;  that  would  be  unlucky.  But  he 
may  hand  it  by  his  Shadow."  Then  he  turned  to  his 
fellow  tribesmen.  "These  gods,"  he  said,  in  an  ex- 
planatory voice,  like  one  bespeaking  forgiveness, 
"  though  they  are  divine,  and  Korong,  and  very  power- 
ful— see,  they  have  come  from  the  sun,  and  they  are 
but  strangers  in  Boupari — they  do  not  yet  know  the 
ways  of  our  island.     They  have  not  eaten  of  human 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  83 

flesh.  They  do  not  understand  Taboo.  But  they  will 
soon  be  wiser.  They  mean  very  well,  but  they  do  not 
know.  Behold,  he  gives  her  this  divine  shining  orna- 
ment from  the  sun  as  a  present !"  And,  taking  it  in 
his  hand,  he  held  it  up  for  a  moment  to  public  admi- 
ration. Then  he  passed  on  the  trinket  ostentatiously 
to  the  bride,  who,  smiling  and  delighted,  hung  it  low 
on  her  breast  among  her  other  decorations. 

The  whole  party  seemed  so  surprised  and  gratified  at 
this  proof  of  condescension  on  the  part  of  the  divine  stran- 
gers that  they  crowded  round  Felix  once  more,  praising 
and  thanking  him  volubly.  Muriel,  anxious  to  remove 
the  bad  impression  she  had  created  by  touching  the 
bride's  dress,  hastily  withdrew  her  own  little  brooch  and 
offered  it  in  turn  to  the  Shadow  as  an  additional  present. 
But  Toko,  shaking  his  head  vigorously,  pointed  with 
his  forefinger  many  times  to  Mali.  "  Toko  say  him  no 
can  take  it,"  Mali  explained  hastily  in  her  broken  Eng- 
lish. "Him  no  your  Shadow;  me  your  Shadow;  me 
do  everything  for  you;  me  give  it  to  the  lady."  And, 
taking  the  brooch  in  her  hand,  she  passed  it  over  in 
turn  amid  loud  cries  of  delight  and  shouts  of  approval. 

Thereupon,  the  ceremony  began  all  over  again.  They 
seemed  by  their  intervention  to  have  interrupted  some 
set  formula.  At  its  close  the  women  crowded  around 
Muriel  and  took  her  hand  in  theirs,  kissing  it  many 
times  over,  with  tears  in  their  eyes,  and  betraying  an 
immense  amount  of  genuine  feeling.  One  phrase  in 
Polynesian  they  repeated  again  and  again ;  a  phrase 
that  made  Felix's  cheek  turn  white,  as  he  leaned  over 
the  poor  English  girl  with  a  profound  emotion. 

"  What  does  it  mean  that  they  say  V  Muriel  asked 


84  THE    GREAT   TABOO. 

at  last,  perceiving  it  was  all  one  phrase,  many  times 
repeated. 

Felix  was  about  to  give  some  evasive  explanation, 
when  Mali  interposed  with  her  simple,  unthinking 
translation.  "  Them  say,  Missy  Qneenie  very  good 
and  kind.  Make  them  sad  to  think.  Make  them 
cry  to  see  her.  Make  them  crjr  to  see  Missy  Queenie 
Korong.     Too  good.     Too  pretty." 

"Why  so?"  Muriel  exclaimed,  drawing  back  with 
some  faint  presentiment  of  unspeakable  horror. 

Felix  tried  to  stop  her;  but  the  girl  would  not  be 
stopped.  "  Because,  when  Korong  time  up,"  she  an- 
swered, blurting  it  out,  "  Korong  must — " 

Felix  clapped  his  hand  to  her  mouth  in  wild  haste, 
and  silenced  her.  He  knew  the  worst  now.  He  had 
divined  the  truth.  But  Muriel,  at  least,  must  be  spared 
that  knowledge. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

SOWING   THE    WIND. 

Vaguely  and  indefinitely  one  terrible  truth  had 
been  forced  by  slow  degrees  upon  Felix's  mind ;  what- 
ever else  Korong  meant,  it  implied  at  least  some  fear- 
ful doom  in  store,  sooner  or  later,  for  the  persons  who 
bore  it.  How  awful  that  doom  might  be  he  could 
hardly  imagine;  but  he  must  devote  himself  henceforth 
to  the  task  of  discovering  what  its  nature  was,  and,  if 
possible,  of  averting  it. 

Yet  how  to  reconcile  this  impending  terror  with  the 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  85 

other  obvious  facts  of  the  situation  ?  the  fact  that  they 
were  considered  divine  beings  and  treated  like  gods; 
and  the  fact  that  the  whole  population  seemed  really 
to  regard  them  with  a  devotion  and  kindliness  closely 
bordering  on  religious  reverence  ?  If  Korongs  were 
gods,  why  should  the  people  want  to  kill  them  1  If 
they  meant  to  kill  them,  why  pay  them  meanwhile 
such  respect  and  affection  ? 

One  point  at  least  was  now,  however,  quite  clear  to 
Felix.  While  the  natives,  especially  the  women,  dis- 
played towards  both  of  them  in  their  personal  aspect  a 
sort  of  regretful  sympathy,  he  could  not  help  noticing 
at  the  same  time  that  the  men,  at  any  rate,  regarded 
them  also  largely  in  an  impersonal  light,  as  a  sort  of 
generalized  abstraction  of  the  powers  of  nature — an 
embodied  form  of  the  rain  and  the  weather.  The  isl- 
anders were  anxious  to  keep  their  white  guests  well 
supplied,  well  fed,  and  in  perfect  health,  not  so  much 
for  the  strangers'  sakes  as  for  their  own  advantage ; 
they  evidently  considered  that  if  anything  went  wrong 
with  either  of  their  two  new  gods,  corresponding  mis- 
fortunes might  happen  to  their  crops  and  the  produce 
of  their  bread-fruit  groves.  Some  mysterious  sym- 
pathy was  held  to  subsist  between  the  persons  of  the 
castaways  and  the  state  of  the  weather.  The  natives 
effusively  thanked  them  after  welcome  rain,  and  looked 
askance  at  them,  scowling,  after  long  dry  spells.  It 
was  for  this,  no  doubt,  that  they  took  such  pains  to 
provide  them  with  attentive  Shadows,  and  to  gird 
round  their  movements  with  taboos  of  excessive  strin- 
gency. Nothing  that  the  new-comers  said  or  did  was 
indifferent,  it  seemed,  to  the  welfare  of  the  commu- 


86  THE    GREAT   TABOO. 

nity  ;  plenty  and  prosperity  depended  upon  the  passing 
state  of  Muriel's  health,  and  famine  or  drought  might 
be  brought  about  at  any  moment  by  the  slightest  im- 
prudence in  Felix's  diet. 

How  stringent  these  taboos  really  were  Felix  learned 
by  slow  degrees  alone  to  realize.  From  the  very  be- 
ginning he  had  observed,  to  be  sure,  that  they  might 
only  eat  and  drink  the  food  provided  for  them ;  that 
they  were  supplied  with  a  clean  and  fresh-built  hut,  as 
well  as  with  brand-new  cocoanut  cups,  spoons,  and  plat- 
ters ;  that  no  litter  of  any  sort  was  allowed  to  accumu- 
late near  their  sacred  enclosure ;  and  that  their  Shadows 
never  left  them,  or  went  out  of  their  sight,  by  day  or 
by  night,  for  a  single  moment.  Now,  however,  he  be- 
gan to  perceive  also  that  the  Shadows  were  there  for 
that  very  purpose,  to  watch  over  them,  as  it  were,  like 
guards,  on  behalf  of  the  community;  to  see  that  they 
ate  or  drank  no  tabooed  object ;  to  keep  them  from 
heedlessly  transgressing  any  unwritten  law  of  the  creed 
of  Boupari ;  and  to  be  answerable  for  their  good  be- 
havior generally.  They  were  partly  servants,  it  was 
true,  and  partly  sureties ;  but  they  were  partly  also 
keepers,  and  keepers  who  kept  a  close  and  constant 
watch  upon  the  persons  of  their  prisoners.  Once  or 
twice  Felix,  growing  tired  for  the  moment  of  this  con- 
tinual surveillance,  had  tried  to  give.  Toko  the  slip,  and 
to  stroll  away  from  his  hut,  unattended,  for  a  walk 
through  the  island,  in  the  early  morning,  before  his 
Shadow  had  waked;  but  on  each  such  occasion  he  found 
to  his  surprise  that,  as  he  opened  the  hut  door,  the 
Shadow  rose  at  once  and  confronted  him  angrily,  with 
an  inquiring  eye;  and  in  time  he  perceived  that  a  thin 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  87 

string  was  fastened  to  the  bottom  of  the  door,  the  other 
end  of  which  was  tied  to  the  Shadow's  ankle;  and  this 
string  could  not  be  cut  without  letting  fall  a  sort  of 
latch  or  bar  which  closed  the  door  outside,  only  to  be 
raised  again  by  some  external  person. 

Clearly,  it  was  intended  that  the  Korong  should 
have  no  chance  of  escape,  without  the  knowledge  of 
the  Shadow,  who,  as  Felix  afterwards  learned,  would 
have  paid  with  his  own  body  by  a  cruel  death  for  the 
Korong's  disappearance. 

He  might  as  well  have  tried  to  escape  his  own 
shadow  as  to  escape  the  one  the  islanders  had  tacked 
on  to  him. 

All  Felix's  energies  were  now  devoted  to  the  ar- 
duous task  of  discovering  what  Korong  really  meant, 
and  what  possibility  he  might  have  of  saving  Muriel 
from  the  mysterious  fate  that  seemed  to  be  held  in 
store  for  them. 

One  evening,  about  six  weeks  after  their  arrival  in 
the  island,  the  young  Englishman  was  strolling  by  him- 
self (after  the  sun  sank  low  in  heaven)  along  a  pretty 
tangled  hillside  path,  overhung  with  lianas  and  rope- 
like tropical  creepers,  while  his  faithful  Shadow  lin- 
gered a  step  or  two  behind,  keeping  a  sharp  lookout 
meanwhile  on  all  his  movements. 

Near  the  top  of  a  little  crag  of  volcanic  rock,  in  the 
centre  of  the  hills,  he  came  suddenly  upon  a  hut  with 
a  cleared  space  around  it,  somewhat  neater  in  appear- 
ance than  any  of  the  native  cottages  he  had  yet  seen, 
and  surrounded  by  a  broad  white  belt  of  coral  sand, 
exactly  like  that  which  ringed  round  and  protected 
their   own    enclosure.     But   what  specially  attracted 


I 


88  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

Felix's  attention  was  the  fact  that  the  space  outside 
this  circle  had  been  cleared  into  a  regular  flower-garden, 
quite  European  in  the  detiniteness  and  orderliness  of 
its  quaint  arrangement. 

"Why,  who  lives  here?"  Felix  asked  in  Polynesian, 
turning  round  in  surprise  to  his  respectful  Shadow. 

The  Shadow  waved  his  hand  vaguely  in  an  expan- 
sive way  towards  the  sky,  as  he  answered  with  a  cer- 
tain air  of  awe,  often  observable  in  his  speech  when  ta- 
boos were  in  question,  "  The  King  of  Birds.  A  very 
great  god.     He  speaks  the  bird  language." 

"  Who  is  he  ?"  Felix  inquired,  taken  aback,  wonder- 
ing vaguely  to  himself  whether  here,  perchance,  he 
might  have  lighted  upon  some  stray  and  shipwrecked 
compatriot. 

"  He  comes  from  the  sun  like  yourselves,"  the 
Shadow  answered,  all  deference,  but  with  obvious  re- 
serve. "  He  is  a  very  great  god.  I  may  not  speak  much 
of  him.  But  he  is  not  Korong.  He  is  greater  than 
that,  and  less.     He  is  Tula,  the  same  as  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

"  Is  he  as  powerful  as  Tu-Kila-Kila  2"  Felix  asked 
with  intense  interest. 

"  Oh,  no,  he's  not  nearly  so  powerful  as  that,"  the 
Shadow  answered,  half  terrified  at  the  bare  suggestion. 
"  No  god  in  heaven  or  earth  is  like  Tu-Kila-Kila. 
This  one  is  only  king  of  the  birds,  which  is  a  little 
province,  while  Tu-Kila-Kila  is  king  of  heaven  and 
earth,  of  plants  and  animals,  of  gods  and  men,  of  all 
things  created.  At  his  nod  the  sky  shakes  and  the 
rocks  tremble.  But  still,  this  god  is  Tula,  like  Tu- 
Kila-Kila.  He  is  not  for  a  year.  He  goes  on  forever, 
till  some  other  supplants  him." 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  89 

"  You  say  be  comes  from  the  sun,"  Felix  put  in,  de- 
voured with  curiosity.  "  And  he  speaks  the  bird  lan- 
guage? What  do  you  mean  by  that?  Does  he  speak 
like  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds  and  myself  when  we  talk 
together  ?" 

"  Oh,  dear,  no,"  the  Shadow  answered  in  a  very  con- 
fident tone.  "He  doesn't  speak  the  least  bit  in  the 
world  like  that.  He  speaks  shriller  and  higher  and 
still  more  bird-like.  It  is  chatter,  chatter,  chatter,  like 
the  parrots  in  a  tree ;  tirra,  tirra,  tirra ;  tarra,  tarra, 
tarra ;  la,  la,  la  ;  lo,  lo,  lo ;  lu,  hi,  lu  ;  li-la.  And  he 
sings  to  himself  all  the  time.     He  sings  this  way — " 

And  then  the  Shadow,  with  that  wonderful  power  of 
accurate  mimicry  which  is  so  strong  in  all  natural  hu- 
man beings,  began  to  trill  out  at  once,  with  a  very 
good  Parisian  accent,  a  few  lines  from  a  well-known 
song  in  "  La  Fille  de  Madame  Angot :" 

"  Quand  on  conspi-re, 

Quand  sans  frayeur 
On  peut  se  di-re 

Conspirateur, 
Pour  tout  le  mon-de 

II  faut  avoir 
Perruque  blon-de 

Et  collet  noir — 
Perruque  blon-de 

Et  collet  noir." 

"That's  how  the  King  of  the  Birds  sings,"  the 
Shadow  said,  as  he  finished,  throwing  back  his  head, 
and  laughing  with  all  his  might  at  his  own  imitation. 
"So  funny,  isn't  it?  It's  exactly  like  the  song  of  the 
pink-crested  parrot." 

"Why,  Toko,  it's  French,"  Felix  exclaimed,  using 


90  THE   GREAT  TABOO. 

the  Fijian  word  for  a  Frenchman,  which  the  Shadow, 
of  course,  on  his  remote  island,  had  never  before 
heard.     "  How  on  earth  did  he  come  here?" 

"  I  can't  tell  you,"  Toka  answered,  waving  his  arms 
seaward.  "  He  came  from  the  sun,  like  yourselves. 
But  not  in  a  sun-boat.  It  had  no  fire.  He  came  in  a 
canoe,  all  by  himself.  And  Mali  says " — here  the 
Shadow  lowered  his  voice  to  a  most  mysterious  whisper 
— "  he's  a  man-a-oui-oui." 

Felix  quivered  with  excitement.  "  Man-a-oui-oui  " 
is  the  universal  name  over  semi-civilized  Polynesia  for 
a  Frenchman.  Felix  seized  upon  it  with  avidity.  "A 
man-a-oui-oui !"  he  cried,  delighted.  "  How  strange ! 
How  wonderful !  I  must  go  in  at  once  to  his  hut  and 
see  him !" 

He  had  lifted  his  foot  and  was  just  going  to  cross 
the  white  line  of  coral-sand,  when  his  Shadow,  catch- 
ing him  suddenly  and  stoutly  round  the  waist,  pulled 
him  back  from  the  enclosure  with  every  sign  of  horror, 
alarm,  and  astonishment.  "No,  you  can't  go,"  he 
cried,  grappling  with  him  with  all  his  force,  yet  using 
him  very  tenderly  for  all  that,  as  becomes  a  god- 
"  Taboo !     Taboo  there !" 

"But  I  am  a  god  myself,"  Felix  cried,  insisting 
upon  his  privileges.  If  you  have  to  submit  to  the  dis- 
advantages of  taboo,  you  may  as  well  claim  its  advan- 
tages as  well.  "The  King  of  Fire  and  the  King  of 
Water  crossed  my  taboo  line.  Why  shouldn't  I  cross 
equally  the  King  of  the  Birds',  then  ?" 

"  So  you  might — as  a  rule,"  the  Shadow  answered 
with  promptitude.  "  You  are  both  gods.  Your  taboos 
do  not  cross.     You  may  visit  each  other.     You  may 


THE  GREAT  TABOO.  91 

transgress  one  another's  lines  without  danger  of  falling 
dead  on  the  ground,  as  common  men  would  do  if  they 
broke  taboo-lines.  But  this  is  the  Month  of  Birds. 
The  king  is  in  retreat.  No  man  may  see  him  except 
his  own  Shadow,  the  Little  Cockatoo,  who  brings  him 
his  food  and  drink.  Do  you  see  that  hawk's  head, 
stuck  upon  the  post  by  the  door  at  the  side.  That  is 
his  Special  Taboo.  Pie  keeps  it  for  this  month.  Even 
gods  must  respect  that  sign,  for  a  reason  which  it 
would  be  very  bad  medicine  to  mention.  While  the 
Month  of  Birds  lasts,  no  man  may  look  upon  the  king 
or  hear  him.  If  they  did,  they  would  die,  and  the 
carrion  birds  would  eat  them.  Come  away.  This  is 
dangerous." 

Scarcely  were  the  words  well  out  of  his  mouth  when 
from  the  recesses  of  the  hut  a  rollicking  French  voice 
was  heard,  trilling  out  merrily  : 

"  Quand  on  con-spi-re, 

Quand,  sans  frayeur —  " 

Without  waiting  for  more,  the  Shadow  seized  Felix's 
arm  in  an  agony  of  terror.  "  Come  away !"  he  cried 
hurriedly,  "  come  away  !  What  will  become  of  us  ? 
This  is  horrible,  horrible  !  We  have  broken  taboo. 
We  have  heard  the  god's  voice.  The  sky  will  fall  on 
us.  If  his  Shadow  were  to  find  it  out  and  tell  my 
people,  my  people  would  tear  us  limb  from  limb. 
Quick,  quick !  Hide  away  !  Let  us  run  fast  through 
the  forest  before  any  man  discover  it." 

The  Shadow's  voice  rang  deep  with  alarm.  Felix 
felt  he  dare  not  trifle  with  this  superstition.  Profound 
as  was  his  curiosity  about  the  mysterious  Frenchman, 
he  was  compelled  to  bottle  up  his  eagerness  and  anxiety 


92  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

for  the  moment,  and  patiently  wait  till  the  Month  of 
Birds  had  run  its  course,  and  taken  its  inconvenient 
taboo  along  with  it.  These  limitations  were  terrible. 
Yet  he  counted  much  upon  the  information  the  French- 
man could  give  him.  The  man  had  been  some  time 
on  the  island,  it  was  clear,  and  doubtless  he  understood 
its  ways  thoroughly ;  he  might  cast  some  light  at  last 
upon  the  Korong  mystery. 

So  he  went  back  through  the  woods  with  a  heart 
somewhat  lighter. 

Not  far  from  their  own  huts  he  met  Muriel  and 
Mali. 

As  they  walked  home  together,  Felix  told  his  com- 
panion in  a  very  few  words  the  strange  discovery  about 
the  Frenchman,  and  the  impenetrable  taboo  by  which 
he  was  at  present  surrounded.  Muriel  drew  a  deep 
sigh.  "  Oh,  Felix,"  she  said — for  they  were  naturally 
by  this  time  very  much  at  home  with  one  another, 
"  did  you  ever  know  anything  so  dreadful  as  the  mys- 
tery of  these  taboos  ?  It  seems  as  if  we  should  never 
get  really  to  the  bottom  of  them.  Mali's  always  spring- 
ing some  new  one  upon  me.  I  don't  believe  we  shall 
ever  be  able  to  leave  the  island — we're  so  hedged  round 
with  taboos.  Even  if  we  were  to  see  a  ship  to-day,  I 
don't  believe  they'd  allow  us  to  signal  it." 

There  was  a  red  sunset ;  a  lurid,  tropical,  red-and- 
green  sunset.     It  boded  mischief. 

They  were  passing  by  some  huts  at  the  moment,  and 
over  the  stockade  of  one  of  them  a  tree  was  hanging 
with  small  yellow  fruits,  which  Felix  knew  well  in  Fiji 
as  wholesome  and  agreeable.  He  broke  off  a  small 
branch  as  he  passed,  and.  offered  a  couple  thoughtlessly 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  93 

to  Muriel.  She  took  them  in  her  ringers,  and  tasted 
them  gingerly.  "  They're  not  so  bad,"  she  said,  taking 
another  from  the  bough.  "  They're  very  much  like 
gooseberries." 

At  the  same  moment,  Felix  popped  one  into  his  own 
mouth,  and  swallowed  it  without  thinking. 

Almost  before  they  knew  what  had  happened,  with 
the  same  extraordinary  rapidity  as  in  the  case  of  the 
wedding,  the  people  in  the  cottages  ran  out,  with  every 
sign  of  fear  and  apprehension,  and,  seizing  the  branch 
from  Felix's  hands,  began  upbraiding  the  two  Shadows 
for  their  want  of  attention. 

"  We  couldn't  help  it,"  Toko  exclaimed,  with  every 
appearance  of  guilt  and  horror  on  his  face.  "  They 
were  much  too  sharp  for  us.  Their  hearts  are  black. 
How "  could  we  two  interfere  ?  These  gods  are  so 
quick !  They  had  picked  and  eaten  them  before  we 
ever  saw  them." 

One  of  the  men  raised  his  hand  with  a  threatening  air 
— but  against  the  Shadow,  not  against  the  sacred  person 
of  Felix.  "He  will  be  ill,"  he  said,  angrily,  pointing 
towards  the  white  man;  "and  she  will,  too.  Their 
hearts  are  indeed  black.  They  have  sown  the  seed  of 
the  wind.  They  have  both  of  them  eaten  of  it.  They 
will  both  be  ill.  You  deserve  to  die  !  And  what  will 
come  now  to  our  trees  and  plantations  1" 

The  crowd  gathered  round  them,  cursing  low  and 
horribly.  The  two  terrified  Europeans  slunk  off  to 
their  huts,  unaware  of  their  exact  crime,  and  closely 
followed  by  a  scowling  but  despondent  mob  of  natives. 
As  they  crossed  their  sacred  boundary,  Muriel  cried, 
with  a  sudden  outburst  of  tears,  "  Oh,  Felix,  what  on 


94  THE    GREAT    TABOO. 

earth  shall  we  ever  do  to  get  rid  of  this  terrible,  unen- 
durable godship !" 

The  natives  without  set  up  a  great  shout  of  horror. 
"See,  see!  she  cries!"  they  exclaimed,  in  indescriba- 
ble panic.  "  She  has  eaten  the  storm-fruit,  and  al- 
ready she  cries  !  Oh,  clouds,  restrain  yourselves  !  Oh, 
great  queen,  mercy  !  Whatever  will  become  of  us  and 
our  poor  huts  and  gardens !" 

And  for  hours  they  crouched  around,  beating  their 
breasts  and  shrieking. 

That  evening,  Muriel  sat  up  late  in  Felix's  hnt,  with 
Mali  by  her  side,  too  frightened  to  go  back  into  her 
own  alone  before  those  angry  people.  And  all  the 
time,  just  beyond  the  barrier  line,  they  could  hear, 
above  the  whistle  of  the  wind  around  the  hut,  the 
droning  voices  of  dozens  of  natives,  cowering  low  on 
the  ground ;  they  seemed  to  be  going  through  some 
litany  or  chant,  as  if  to  deprecate  the  result  of  this 
imprudent  action. 

"  What  are  they  doing  outside  ?"  Felix  asked  of  his 
Shadow  at  last,  after  a  peculiarly  long  wail  of  misery. 

And  the  Shadow  made  answer,  in  very  solemn  tones, 
"  They  are  trying  to  propitiate  your  mightiness,  and 
to  avert  the  omen,  lest  the  rain  should  fall,  and  the 
wind  should  blow,  and  the  storm-cloud  should  burst 
over  the  island  to  destroy  them." 

Then  Felix  remembered  suddenly  of  himself  that 
the  season  when  this  storm-fruit,  or  storm-apple,  as 
they  called  it,  was  ripe  in  Fiji,  was  also  the  season  when 
the  great  Pacific  cyclones  most  often  swept  over  the 
land  in  full  fury — storms  unexampled  on  any  other 
sea,  like  that  famous  one  which  wrecked  so  many  Eu- 


THE  GREAT   TABOO.  95 

ropean  men-of-war  a  few  years  since  in  the  harbor  of 
Samoa. 

And  without,  the  wail  came  louder  and  clearer  still : 
"  If  you  sow  the  bread-fruit  seed,  you  will  reap  the 
bread-fruit.  If  you  sow  the  wind,  you  will  reap  the 
whirlwind.  They  have  eaten  the  storm-fruit.  Oh, 
great  king,  save  us!" 


CHAPTER   X. 

REAPING   THE  WHIRLWIND. 


Towards  midnight  Muriel  began  to  doze  lightly 
from  pure  fatigue. 

"  Put  a  pillow  under  her  head,  and  let  her  sleep," 
Felix  said  in  a  whisper.  "  Poor  child,  it  would  be  cruel 
to  send  her  alone  to-night  into  her  own  quarters." 

And  Mali  slipped  a  pillow  of  mulberry  paper  under 
her  mistress's  head,  and  laid  it  on  her  own  lap,  and 
bent  down  to  watch  her. 

But  outside,  beyond  the  line,  the  natives  murmured 
loud  their  discontent.  "  The  Queen  of  the  Clouds 
stays  in  the  King  of  the  Rain's  hut  to-night,"  they 
muttered,  angrily.  "  She  will  not  listen  to  us.  Before 
morning,  be  sure,  the  Tempest  will  be  born  of  their 
meeting  to  destroy  us." 

About  two  o'clock  there  came  a  lull  in  the  wind, 
which  had  been  rising  steadily  ever  since  that  lurid 
sunset.  Felix  looked  out  of  the  hut  door.  The  moon 
was  full.  It  was  almost  as  clear  as  day  with  the  bright 
tropical  moonlight,  silvery  in  the  open,  pale  green  iu 


96  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

the  shadow.  The  people  were  still  squatting  in  great 
rings  round  the  hut,  just  outside  the  taboo  line,  and 
beating  gongs  and  sticks  and  human  bones,  to  keep 
time  to  the  lilt  of  their  lugubrious  litany. 

The  air  felt,  unusually  heavy  and  oppressive.  Felix 
raised  his  eyes  to  the  sky,  and  saw  wisps  of  light 
cloud  drifting  in  rapid  flight  over  the  scudding  moon. 
Below,  an  ominous  fog  bank  gathered  steadily  west- 
ward. Then  one  clap  of  thunder  rent  the  sky.  Af- 
ter it  came  a  deadly  silence.  The  moon  was  veiled. 
All  was  dark  as  pitch.  The  natives  themselves  fell 
on  their  faces  and  prayed  with  mute  lips.  Three  min- 
utes later,  the  cyclone  had  burst  upon  them  in  all  its 
frenzy. 

Such  a  hurricane  Felix  had  never  before  experienced. 

Its  energy  was  awful.  Round  the  palm-trees  the 
wind  played  a  frantic  and  capricious  devil's  dance. 
It  pirouetted  about  the  atoll  in  the  mad  glee  of  un- 
consciousness. Here  and  there  it  cleared  lanes,  hun- 
dreds of  yards  in  length,  among  the  forest-trees  and 
the  cocoanut  plantations.  The  noise  of  snapping  and 
falling  trunks  rang  thick  on  the  air.  At  times  the 
cyclone  would  swoop  down  from  above  upon  the  sway- 
ing stem  of  some  tall  and  stately  palm  that  bent  like 
grass  before  the  wind,  break  it  off  short  with  a  roar  at 
the  bottom,  and  lay  it  low  at  once  on  the  ground,  with 
a  crash  like  thunder.  In  other  places,  little  playful 
whirlwinds  seemed  to  descend  from  the  sky  in  the 
very  midst  of  the  dense  brushwood,  where  they  cleared 
circular  patches,  strewn  thick  underfoot  with  trunks 
and  branches  in  their  titanic  sport,  and  yet  left  unhurt 
all  about  the  surrounding  forest.    Then  again  a  special 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  97 

cyclone  of  gigantic  proportions  would  advance,  as  it 
were,  in  a  single  column  against  one  stem  of  a  clump, 
whirl  round  it  spirally  like  a  lightning  flash,  and,  de- 
serting it  for  another,  leave  it  still  standing,  but  turned 
and  twisted  like  a  screw  by  the  irresistible  force  of  its 
invisible  Angers.  The  storm-god,  said  Toko,  was  danc- 
ing with  the  palm-trees.  The  sight  was  awful.  Such 
destructive  energy  Felix  had  never  even  imagined  be- 
fore. No  wonder  the  savages,  all  round  beheld  in  it 
the  personal  wrath  of  some  mighty  spirit. 

For  in  spite  of  the  black  clouds  they  could  see  it 
all — both  the  Europeans  and  the  islanders.  The  in- 
tense darkness  of  the  night  was  lighted  up  for  them 
every  minute  by  an  almost  incessant  blaze  of  sheet 
and  forked  lightning.  The  roar  of  the  thunder  min- 
gled with  the  roar  of  the  tempest,  each  in  turn  over- 
topping and  drowning  the  other.  The  hut  where  Fe- 
lix and  Muriel  sheltered  themselves  shook  before  the 
storm ;  the  very  ground  of  the  island  trembled  and 
quivered — like  the  timbers  of  a  great  ship  before  a 
mighty  sea — at  each  onset  of  the  breakers  upon  the 
surrounding  fringe-reef.  And  side  by  side  with  it  all, 
to  crown  their  misery,  wild  torrents  of  rain,  descend- 
ing in  waterspouts,  as  it  seemed,  or  dashed  in  great 
sheets  against  the  roof  of  their  frail  tenement,  poured 
fitfully  on  with  fierce  tropical  energy. 

In  the  midst  of  the  hut  Muriel  crouched  and  prayed 
with  bloodless  lips  to  Heaven.  This  was  too,  too  ter- 
rible. It  seemed  incredible  to  her  that  on  top  of  all 
they  had  been  called  upon  to  suffer  of  fear  and  sus- 
pense at  the  hands  of  the  savages,  the  very  dumb  forces 
of  nature  themselves  should  thus  be  stirred  up  to  open 
7 


08  THE   GREAT  TABOO. 

war  against  them.  Her  faith  in  Providence  was  sorely 
tried.  Dumb  forces,  indeed!  Why,  they  roared  with 
more  terrible  voices  than  any  wild  beast  on  earth  could 
possibly  compass.  The  thunder  and  the  wind  were 
howling  each  other  down  in  emulous  din,  and  the  very 
hiss  of  the  lightning  could  be  distinctly  heard,  like 
some  huge  snake,  at  times  above  the  creaking  and  snap- 
ping of  the  trees  before  the  gale  in  the  surrounding 
forest. 

Muriel  crouched  there  long,  in  the  mute  misery  of 
utter  despair.  At  her  feet  Mali  crouched  too,  as  fright- 
ened as  herself,  but  muttering  aloud  from  time  to  time, 
in  a  reproachful  voice,  "  I  tell  Missy  Queenie  what 
going  to  happen.  I  warn  her  not.  I  tell  her  she 
must  not  eat  that  very  bad  storm-apple.  But  Missy 
Queenie  no  listen.  Her  take  her  own  way,  then  storm 
come  down  upon  us." 

And  Felix's  Shadow,  in  his  own  tongue,  exclaimed 
more  than  once  in  the  self-same  tone,  half  terror,  half 
expostulation,  "  See  now  what  comes  from  breaking 
taboo  ?  You  eat  the  storm-fruit.  The  storm-fruit  suits 
ill  with  the  King  of  the  Rain  and  the  Queen  of  the 
Clouds.  The  heavens  have  broken  loose.  The  sea 
has  boiled.  See  what  wind  and  what  flood  you  are 
bringing  upon  us." 

By-and-by,  above  even  the  fierce  roar  of  the  min- 
gled thunder  and  cyclone,  a  wild  orgy  of  noise  burst 
upon  them  all  from  without  the  hut.  It  was  a  sound 
as  of  numberless  drums  and  tom-toms,  all  beaten  in 
unison  with  the  mad  energy  of  fear ;  a  hideous  sound, 
suggestive  of  some  hateful  heathen  devil-worship.  Mu- 
riel clapped  her  hands  to  her  ears  in  horror.     "  Oh, 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  99 

what's  that  ?"  she  cried  to  Felix,  at  this  new  addition 
to  their  endless  alarms.  "  Are  the  savages  out  there 
rising  in  a  body?    Have  they  come  to  murder  us?" 

"  Perhaps,"  Felix  said,  smoothing  her  hair  with  his 
hand,  as  a  mother  might  soothe  her  terrified  child, 
"  perhaps  they're  angry  with  us  for  having  caused  this 
6torm,  as  they  think,  by  our  foolish  action.  I  believe 
they  all  set  it  down  to  our  having  unluckily  eaten  that 
unfortunate  fruit.  I'll  go  out  to  the  door  myself  and 
speak  to  them." 

Muriel  clung  to  his  arm  with  a  passionate  clinging. 
"  Oh,  Felix,"  she  cried,  "  no !  Don't  leave  me  here 
alone.  My  darling,  I  love  you.  You're  all  the  world 
there  is  left  to  me  now,  Felix.  Don't  go  out  to  those 
wretches  and  leave  me  here  alone.  They'll  murder 
you !  they'll  murder  you  !  Don't  go  out,  I  implore 
you.  If  they  mean  to  kill  us,  let  them  kill  us  both 
together,  in  one  another's  arms.  Oh,  Felix,  I  am  yours, 
and  you  are  mine,  my  darling  !" 

It  was  the  first  either  of  them  had  acknowledged 
the  fact ;  but  there,  before  the  face  of  that  awful  con- 
vulsion of  nature,  all  the  little  deceptions  and  veils 
of  life  seemed  rent  asunder  forever  as  by  a  flash  of 
lightning.  They  stood  face  to  face  with  each  other's 
souls,  and  forgot  all  else  in  the  agony  of  the  moment. 
Felix  clasped  the  trembling  girl  in  his  arms  like  a 
lover.  The  two  Shadows  looked  on  and  shook  with 
silent  terror.  If  the  King  of  the  Rain  thus  embraced 
the  Queen  of  the  Clouds  before  their  very  eyes,  amid 
so  awful  a  storm,  what  unspeakable  effects  might  not 
follow  at  once  from  it !  But  they  had  too  much  re- 
spect for  those  supernatural  creatures  to  attempt  to 


100  THE    GREAT   TABOO. 

interfere  with  their  action  at  such  a  moment.  They 
accepted  their  masters  almost  as  passively  as  they  ac- 
cepted the  wind  and  the  thunder,  which  they  believed 
to  arise  from  them. 

Felix  laid  his  poor  Muriel  teuderly  down  on  the 
mud  floor  again.  "  I  must  go  out,  my  child,"  he  said. 
"  For  the  very  love  of  you,  I  must  play  the  man,  and 
find  out  what  these  savages  mean  by  their  drumming." 

He  crept  to  the  door  of  the  hut  (for  no  man  could 
walk  upright  before  that  awful  storm),  and  peered  out 
into  the  darkness  once  more,  awaiting  one  of  the  fre- 
quent flashes  of  lightning.  He  had  not  long  to  wait. 
In  a  moment  the  sky  was  all  ablaze  again  from  end  to 
end,  and  continued  so  for  many  seconds  consecutively. 
By  the  light  of  the  continuous  zigzags  of  fire,  Felix 
could  see  for  himself  that  hundreds  and  hundreds  of 
natives — men,  women,  and  children,  naked,  or  nearly 
so,  with  their  hair  loose  and  wet  about  their  cheeks — 
la}7  flat  on  their  faces,  many  courses  deep,  just  outside 
the  taboo  line.  The  wind  swept  over  them  with  ex- 
traordinary force,  and  the  tropical  rain  descended  in 
great  floods  upon  their  bare  backs  and  shoulders.  But 
the  savages,  as  if  entranced,  seemed  to  take  no  heed  of 
all  these  earthly  things.  They  lay  grovelling  in  the 
mud  before  some  unseen  power;  and  beating  their 
tom-toms  in  unison,  with  barbaric  concord,  they  cried 
aloud  once  more  as  Felix  appeared,  in  a  weird  litany 
that  overtopped  the  tumultuous  noise  of  the  tempest, 
"  Oh,  Storm-God,  hear  us !  Oh,  great  spirit,  deliver  us ! 
King  of  the  Rain  and  Queen  of  the  Clouds,  befriend 
us !  Be  angry  no  more !  Hide  your  wrath  from  your 
people !     Take  away  your  hurricane,  and  we  will  bring 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  101 

you  many  gifts.  Eat  no  longer  of  the  storm-apple — 
the  seed  of  the  wind — and  we  will  feed  you  with  yam 
and  turtle,  and  much  choice  bread-fruit.  Great  king, 
we  are  yours ;  you  shall  choose  which  you  will  of  our 
children  for  your  meat  and  drink ;  you  shall  sup  on 
our  blood.  But  take  your  storm  away ;  do  not  utterly 
drown  and  submerge  our  island !" 

As  they  spoke  they  crawled  nearer  and  nearer,  with 
gliding  serpentine  motion,  till  their  heads  almost 
touched  the  white  line  of  coral.  But  not  a  man  of 
them  all  went  one  inch  beyond  it.  They  stopped  there 
and  gazed  at  him.  Felix  signed  to  them  with  his  hand, 
and  pointed  vaguely  to  the  sky,  as  much  as  to  say  he 
was  not  responsible.  At  the  gesture  the  whole  as- 
sembly burst  into  one  loud  shout  of  gratitude.  "  He 
has  heard  us,  he  has  heard  us  !"  they  exclaimed,  with  a 
perfect  wail  of  joy.  "  He  will  not  utterly  destroy  us. 
He  will  take  away  his  storm.  He  will  bring  the  sun 
and  the  moon  back  to  us." 

Felix  returned  into  the  hut,  somewhat  reassured 
so  far  as  the  attitude  of  the  savages  went.  "Don't  be 
afraid  of  them,  Muriel,"  he  cried,  taking  her  passion- 
ately once  more  in  a  tender  embrace.  "  They  daren't 
cross  the  taboo.  They  won't  come  near;  they're  too 
frightened  themselves  to  dream  of  hurting  us." 


\(\o  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 


CHAPTER  XL 

AFTER    THE    STORM. 

Next  morning  the  day  broke  bright  and  calm,  as  if 
the  tempest  had  been  but  an  evil  dream  of  the  night, 
now  past  forever.  The  birds  sang  loud ;  the  lizards 
came  forth  from  their  holes  in  the  wall,  and  basked, 
green  and  gold,  in  the  warm,  dry  sunshine.  But  though 
the  sky  overhead  was  blue  and  the  air  clear,  as  usually 
happens  after  these  alarming  tropical  cyclones  and  rain- 
storms, the  memorials  of  the  great  wind  that  had  raged 
all  night  long  among  the  forests  of  the  island  were 
neither  few  nor  far  between.  Everywhere  the  ground 
was  strewn  with  leaves  and  branches  and  huge  stems 
of  cocoa-palms.  All  nature  was  draggled.  Many  of 
the  trees  were  stripped  clean  of  their  foliage,  as  com- 
pletely as  oaks  in  an  English  winter;  on  others,  big 
strands  of  twisted  fibres  marked  the  scars  and  joints 
where  mighty  boughs  had  been  torn  away  by  main 
force  ;  while  elsewhere,  bare  stumps  alone  remained  to 
mark  the  former  presence  of  some  noble  dracoena  or 
some  gigantic  banyan.  Bread-fruits  and  cocoanuts  lay 
tossed  in  the  wildest  confusion  on  the  ground;  the 
banana  and  plantain-patches  were  beaten  level  with 
the  soil  or  buried  deep  in  the  mud ;  many  of  the  huts 
had  given  way  entirely ;  abundant  wreckage  strewed 
every  corner  of  the  island.  It  was  an  awful  sight. 
Muriel  shuddered  to  herself  to  see  how  much  the  two 
that  night  had  passed  through. 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  103 

What  the  outer  fringing  reef  had  suffered  from  the 
storm  they  hardly  knew  as  yet ;  but  from  the  door  of 
the  hut  Felix  could  see  for  himself  how  even  the  calm 
waters  of  the  inner  lagoon  had  been  lashed  into  wild 
fury  by  the  fierce  swoop  of  the  tempest.  Round  the 
entire  atoll  the  solid  conglomerate  coral  floor  was 
scooped  under,  broken  up,  chewed  fine  by  the  waves, 
or  thrown  in  vast  fragments  on  the  beach  of  the 
island.  By  the  eastern  shore,  in  particular,  just  op- 
posite their  hut,  Felix  observed  a  regular  wall  of  many 
feet  in  height,  piled  up  by  the  waves  like  the  familiar 
Chesil  Beach  near  his  old  home  in  Dorsetshire.  It 
was  the  shelter  of  that  temporary  barrier  alone,  no 
doubt,  that  had  preserved  their  huts  last  night  from 
the  full  fury  of  the  gale,  and  that  had  allowed  the  na- 
tives to  congregate  in  such  numbers  prone  on  their 
faces  in  the  mud  and  rain,  upon  the  unconsecrated 
ground  outside  their  taboo-line. 

But  now  not  an  islander  was  to  be  seen  within  ear- 
shot. All  had  gone  away  to  look  after  their  ruined 
huts  or  their  beaten-down  plantain-patches,  leaving  the 
cruel  gods,  who,  as  they  thought,  had  wrought  all  the 
mischief  out  of  pure  wantonness,  to  repent  at  leisure 
the  harm  done  during  the  night  to  their  obedient 
votaries. 

Felix  "was  just  about  to  cross  the  taboo-line  and  walk 
down  to  the  shore  to  examine  the  barrier,  when  Toko, 
his  Shadow,  laying  his  hand  on  his  shoulder  with  more 
genuine  interest  and  affection  than  he  had  ever  yet 
shown,  exclaimed  with  some  horror,  "  Oh,  no !  Not 
that!  Don't  dare  to  go  outside!  It  would  be  very 
dangerous  for  you.     If  my  people  were  to  catch  you 


104  THE    GREAT    TABOO. 

on  profane  soil  just  now,  there's  no  saying  what  harm 
they  might  do  to  you." 

"  AVhy  so  ?"  Felix  exclaimed,  in  surprise.  "  Last 
night,  surely,  they  were  all  prayers  and  promises  and 
vows  and  entreaties." 

The  young  man  nodded  his  head  in  acquiescence. 
"  Ah,  yes ;  last  night,"  he  answered.  "  That  was  very 
well  then.  Yows  were  sore  needed.  The  storm  was 
raging,  and  you  were  within  your  taboo.  How  could 
they  dare  to  touch  you,  a  mighty  god  of  the  tempest,  at 
the  very  moment  when  you  were  rending  their  banyan- 
trees  and  snapping  their  cocoanut  stems  with  your 
mighty  arms  like  so  many  little  chicken-bones  ?  Even 
Tu-Kila-Kila  himself,  I  expect,  the  very  high  god,  lay 
frightened  in  his  temple,  cowering  by  his  tree,  annoyed 
at  your  wrath ;  he  sent  Fire  and  Water  among  the 
worshippers,  no  doubt,  to  offer  up  vows  and  to  appease 
your  anger." 

Then  Felix  remembered,  as  his  Shadow  spoke,  that, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  he  had  observed  the  men  who 
usually  wore  the  red  and  white  feather  cloaks  among 
the  motley  crowd  of  grovelling  natives  who  lay  flat 
on  their  faces  in  the  mud  of  the  cleared  space  the 
night  before,  and  prayed  hard  for  mercy.  Only  they 
were  not  wearing  their  robes  of  office  at  the  moment, 
in  accordance  with  a  well-known  savage  custom ; 
they  had  come  naked  and  in  disgrace,  as  befits 
all  suppliants.  They  had  left  behind  them  the  in- 
signia of  their  rank  in  their  own  shaken  huts,  and 
bowed  down  their  bare  backs  to  the  rain  and  the 
lightning. 

"  Yes,  I  saw  them  among  the  other  islanders,"  Felix 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  1Q5 

answered,  half  smiling,  but  prudently  remaining  with- 
in the  taboo-line,  as  his  Shadow  advised  him. 

Toko  kept  his  hand  still  on  his  master's  shoulder. 
"Oh,  king,"  he  said,  beseechingly,  and  with  great 
solemnity,  "I  am  doing  wrong  to  warn  you;  I  am 
breaking  a  very  great  Taboo.  I  don't  know  what  harm 
may  come  to  me  for  telling  you.  Perhaps  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  will  burn  me  to  ashes  with  one  glance  of  his  eyes. 
He  may  know  this  minute  what  I'm  saying  here  alone 
to  you." 

It  is  hard  for  a  white  man  to  meet  scruples  like  this; 
but  Felix  was  bold  enough  to  answer  outright:  "Tu- 
Kila-Kila  knows  nothing  of  the  sort,  and  can  never 
find  out.  Take  my  word  for  it,  Toko,  nothing  that 
you  say  to  me  will  ever  reach  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

The  Shadow  looked  at  him  doubtfully,  and  trembled 
as  he  spoke.  "  I  like  you,  Korong,"  he  said,  with  a 
genuinely  truthful  ring  in  his  voice.  "  You  seem  to 
me  so  kind  and  good — so  different  from  other  gods, 
who  are  very  cruel.  You  never  beat  me.  Nobody  I 
ever  served  treated  me  as  well  or  as  kindly  as  you  have 
done.  And  for  your  sake,  I  will  even  dare  to  break 
taboo — if  you're  quite,  quite  sure  Tu-Kila-Kila  will 
never  discover  it." 

"  I'm  quite  sure,"  Felix  answered  with  perfect  con- 
fidence. "  I  know  it  for  certain.  I  swear  a  great  oath 
to  it." 

"  You  swear  by  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself  ?"  the  young 
savage  asked,  anxiously. 

"I  swear  by  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself,"  Felix  replied 
at  once.  "  I  swear,  without  doubt.  He  can  never 
know  it." 


100  TH£  GREAT  TABOO. 

"  That  is  a  great  Taboo,"  the  Shadow  went  on,  medi- 
tatively, stroking  Felix's  arm.  "A  very  great  Taboo 
indeed.  A  terrible  medicine.  And  you  are  a  god ;  I 
can  trust  you.  Well,  then,  you  see,  the  secret  is  this: 
you  are  Korong,  but  you  arc  a  stranger,  and  you  don't 
understand  the  ways  of  JBoupari.  If  for  three  days 
after  the  end  of  this  storm,  which  Tu-Kila-Kila  has 
sent  Fire  and  Water  to  pray  and  vow  against,  you  or 
the  Queen  of  the  Clouds  show  yourselves  outside  your 
own  taboo-line — why,  then,  the  people  are  clear  of  sin  ; 
whoever  takes  you  may  rend  you  alive ;  they  will  tear 
you  limb  from  limb  and  cut  you  into  pieces." 

"  Why  so  ?"  Felix  asked,  aghast  at  this  discovery. 
They  seemed  to  live  on  a  perpetual  volcano  in  this 
wonderful  island ;  and  a  volcano  ever  breaking  out  in 
fresh  places.  They  could  never  get  to  the  bottom  of 
its  horrible  superstitions. 

"  Because  you  ate  the  storm-apple,"  the  Shadow  an- 
swered, confidently.  "  That  was  very  wrong.  You 
brought  the  tempest  upon  us  yourselves  by  your  own 
trespass;  therefore,  by  the  custom  of  Boupari,  which 
we  learn  in  the  mysteries,  you  become  full  Korong  for 
the  sacrifice  at  once.  That  makes  the  term  for  you. 
The  people  will  give  you  all  your  dues ;  then  they  will 
say,  '  We  are  free ;  we  have  bought  you  with  a  price ; 
we  have  brought  your  cocoanuts.  No  sin  attaches  to 
us;  we  are  righteous,  we  are  righteous.'  And  then 
they  will  kill  you,  and  Fire  and  Water  will  roast  you 
and  boil  you." 

"But  only  if  we  go  outside  the  taboo-line ?"  Felix 
asked,  anxiously. 

"  Only  if  you  go  outside  the  taboo-line,"  the  Shadow 


the  great  Taboo.  107 

replied,  nodding  a  hasty  assent.  "  Inside  it,  till  your 
term  conies,  even  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself,  the  very  high 
god,  whose  meat  we  all  are,  dare  never  hurt  you." 

"Till  our  term  comes?"  Felix  inquired,  once  more 
astonished  and  perplexed.  "What  do  you  mean  by 
that,  my  Shadow  ?" 

But  the  Shadow  was  either  bound  by  some  super- 
stitious fear,  or  else  incapable  of  putting  himself  into 
Felix's  point  of  view.  "  Why,  till  you  are  full  Ko- 
rong,"  he  answered,  like  one  who  speaks  of  some  fa- 
miliar fact,  as  who  should  say,  till  you  are  forty  years 
old,  or,  till  your  beard  grows  white.  "  Of  course,  by- 
and-by,  you  will  be  full  Korong.  I  cannot  help  you 
then  ;  but,  till  that  time  comes,  I  would  like  to. do  my 
best  by  you.  You  have  been  very  kind  to  me.  I  tell 
you  much.  More  than  this,  it  would  not  be  lawful  for 
me  to  mention." 

And  that  was  the  most  that,  by  dexterous  question- 
ing, Felix  could  ever  manage  to  get  out  of  his  myste- 
rious Shadow. 

"  At  the  end  of  three  days  we  will  be  safe,  though?" 
he  inquired  at  last,  after  all  other  questions  failed  to 
produce  an  answer. 

"  Oh,  yes,  at  the  end  of  three  days  the  storm  will 
have  blown  over,"  the  young  man  answered,  easily. 
"  All  will  then  be  well.  You  may  venture  out  once 
more.  The  rain  will  have  dried  over  all  the  island. 
Fire  and  Water  will  have  no  more  power  over  you." 

Felix  went  back  to  the  hut  to  inform  Muriel  of  this 
new  peril  thus  suddenly  sprung  upon  them.  Poor 
Muriel,  now  almost  worn  out  with  endless  terrors,  re- 
ceived it  calmly.     "  I'm  growing  accustomed  to  it  all, 


10S  THE    GREAT    TABOO. 

Felix,"  she  answered,  resignedly.  "  If  only  I  know 
that  you  will  keep  your  promise,  and  never  let  me  fall 
alive  into  these  wretches'1  hands,  I  shall  feel  quite  safe. 
Oh,  Felix,  do  you  know,  when  you  took  me  in  your 
arms  like  that  last  night,  in  spite  of  everything,  I  felt 
positivel}7  happy." 

About  ten  o'clock  they  were  suddenly  roused  by  a 
sound  of  many  natives,  coming  in  quick  succession, 
single  file,  to  the  huts,  and  shouting  aloud,  "  Oh,  King 
of  the  Rain,  oh,  Queen  of  the  Clouds,  come  forth  for 
our  vows !     Receive  your  presents  !" 

Felix  went  forth  to  the  door  to  look.  With  a  warn- 
ing look  in  his  eyes,  his  Shadow  followed  him.  The 
natives  were  now  coming  up  by  dozens  at  a  time,  bring- 
ing with  them,  in  great  arm-loads,  fallen  cocoanuts  and 
bread-fruits,  and  branches  of  bananas,  and  large  drag- 
gled clusters  of  half-ripe  plantains. 

"  Why,  what  are  all  these  ?"  Felix  exclaimed  in  sur- 
prise. 

His  Shadow  looked  up  at  him,  as  if  amused  at  the 
absurd  simplicity  of  the  question.  "  These  are  yours, 
of  course,"  he  said ;  "  yours  and  the  Queen's ;  they  are 
the  windfalls  you  made.  Did  you  not  knock  them  all 
off  the  trees  for  yourselves  when  you  were  coming 
down  in  such  sheets  from  the  sky  last  evening?" 

Felix  wrung  his  hands  in  positive  despair.  It  was 
clear,  indeed,  that  to  the  minds  of  the  natives  there 
was  no  distinguishing  personally  between  himself  and 
Muriel,  and  the  rain  or  the  cyclone. 

"  Will  they  bring  them  all  in  ?"  he  asked,  gazing  in 
alarm  at  the  huge  pile  of  fruits  the  natives  were  mak- 
ing outside  the  huts. 


THE    GREAT   TABOO.  10<J 

"  Yes,  all,"  the  Shadow  answered  ;  "  they  arc  vows ; 
they  are  godsends ;  but  if  you  like,  you  can  give  some 
of  them  back.  If  you  give  much  back,  of  course  it 
will  make  my  people  less  angry  with  you." 

Felix  advanced  near  the  line,  holding  his  hand  up 
before  him  to  command  silence.  As  he  did  so,  he  was 
absolutely  appalled  himself  at  the  perfect  storm  of  exe- 
cration and  abuse  which  his  appearance  excited.  The 
foremost  natives,  brandishing  their  clubs  and  stone- 
tipped  spears,  or  shaking  their  fists  by  the  line,  poured 
forth  upon  his  devoted  head  at  once  all  the  most 
frightful  curses  of  the  Polynesian  vocabulary.  "  Oh, 
evil  god,"  they  cried  aloud  with  angry  faces;  "oh, 
wicked  spirit !  you  have  a  bad  heart.  See  what  a  wrong 
you  have  purposely  done  us.  If  your  heart  were  not 
bad,  would  you  treat  us  like  this  ?  If  you  are  indeed 
a  god,  come  out  across  the  line,  and  let  us  try  issues 
together.  Don't  skulk  like  a  coward  in  your  hut  and 
within  your  taboo,  but  come  out  and  fight  us.  We  are 
not  afraid,  who  are  only  men.  Why  are  you  afraid 
of  us?" 

Felix  tried  to  speak  once  more,  but  the  din  drowned 
his  voice.  As  he  paused,  the  people  set  up  their  loud 
shouts  again.  "  Oh,  you  wicked  god !  You  eat  the 
storm-apple  !  You  have  wrought  us  much  harm.  You 
have  spoiled  our  harvest.  How  you  came  down  in  great 
sheets  last  night!  It  was  pitiful,  pitiful !  We  would 
like  to  kill  you.  You  might  have  taken  our  bread- 
fruits and  our  bananas,  if  you  would  ;  we  give  you 
them  freely ;  they  are  yours ;  here,  take  them.  We 
feed  you  well ;  we  make  you  many  offerings.  But  why 
did  you  wish  to  have  our  huts  also?     Why  did  you 


HO  THE    CHEAT    TABOO. 

beat  down  our  young  plantations  and  break  our  canoes 
against  the  beach  of  the  island  3  That  shows  a  bad 
heart!  You  are  an  evil  god!  Yon  dare  not  defend 
yourself.     Come  out  and  meet  ns." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A   POINT   OF    THEOLOGY. 


At  last,  with  great  difficulty,  Felix  managed  to  se- 
cure a  certain  momentary  lull  of  silence.  The  natives, 
clustering  round  the  Jine  till  they  almost  touched  it, 
listened  with  scowling  brows,  and  brandished  threaten- 
ing spears,  tipped  with  points  of  stone  or  shark's  teeth 
or  turtle-bone,  while  he  made  his  speech,  to  them. 
From  time  to  time,  one  or  another  interrupted  him, 
coaxing  and  wheedling  him,  as  it  were,  to  cross  the 
line;  but  Felix  never  heeded  them.  He  was  begin- 
ning to  understand  now  how  to  treat  this  strange  peo- 
ple. He  took  no  notice  of  their  threats  or  their  en- 
treaties either. 

By-and-by,  partly  by  words  and  partly  by  gestures, 
be  made  them  understand  that  they  might  take  back 
and  keep  for  themselves  all  the  cocoanuts  and  bread- 
fruits they  had  brought  as  windfalls.  At  this,  the 
people  seemed  a  little  appeased.  "  His  heart  is  not 
quite  so  bad  as  we  thought,"  they  murmured  among 
themselves;  "but  if  he  didn't  want  them,  what  did 
he  mean  ?  Why  did  he  beat  down  our  huts  and  our 
plantations?" 

Then  Felix  tried  to  explain  to  them — a  somewhat 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  HI 

dangerous  task — that  neither  lie  nor  Muriel  were  really 
responsible  for  last  night's  storm  ;  but  at  that  the  peo- 
ple, with  one  accord,  raised  a  great  loud  shout  of  un- 
mixed derision.  "  He  is  a  god,"  they  cried,  "  and  yet 
he  is  ashamed  of  his  own  acts  and  deeds,  afraid  of  what 
we,  mere  men,  will  do  to  him!  Ha!  ha!  Take  care! 
These  are  lies  that  he  tells.  Listen  to  him  !  Hear 
him !" 

Meanwhile,  more  and  more  natives  kept  coming  up 
with  windfalls  of  fruit,  or  with  objects  they  had  vowed 
in  their  terror  to  dedicate  during  the  night ;  and  Felix 
all  the  time  kept  explaining  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  to 
all  as  they  came,  that  he  wanted  nothing,  and  that 
they  could  take  all  back  again.  This  curiously  incon- 
sistent action  seemed  to  puzzle  the  wondering  natives 
strangely.  Had  he  made  the  storm,  then,  they  asked, 
and  eaten  the  storm-apple,  for  no  use  to  himself,  but 
out  of  pure  perverseness?  If  he  didn't  even  want  the 
windfalls  and  the  objects  vowed  to  him,  why  had  he 
beaten  down  their  crops  and  broken  their  houses  ? 
They  looked  at  him  meaningly ;  but  they  dared  not 
cross  that  great  line  of  taboo.  It  was  their  own  super- 
stition alone,  in  that  moment  of  danger,  that  kept  their 
hands  off  those  defenceless  white  people. 

At  last,  a  happy  idea  seemed  to  strike  the  crowd. 
"  What  he  wants  is  a  child  !"  they  cried  effusively. 
"  He  thirsts  for  blood  !  Let  us  kill  and  roast  him  a 
proper  victim  !" 

Felix's  horror  at  this  appalling  proposition  knew  no 
bounds.  "If  you  do,"  he  cried,  turning  their  own 
superstition  against  them  in  this  last  hour  of  need,  "I 
will  raise  up  a  storm  worse  even  than  last  night's !    Tou 


112  THE  GREAT  TABOO. 

do  it  at  your  peril!  I  want  no  victim.  The  people 
of  my  country  eat  not  of  human  flesh.  It  is  a  thing 
detestable,  horrible,  hateful  to  God  and  man.  With 
us,  all  human  life  alike  is  sacred.  "We  spill  no  blood. 
If  you  dare  to  do  as  you  say,  I  will  raise  such  a  storm 
over  your  heads  to-night  as  will  submerge  and  drown 
the  whole  of  your  island." 

The  natives  listened  to  him  with  profound  interest. 
"We  must  spill  no  blood!"  they  repeated,  looking 
aghast  at  one  another.  "Ilear  what  the  King  says! 
We  must  not  cut  the  victim's  throat.  We  must  bind 
a  child  with  cords  and  roast  it  alive  for  him !" 

Felix  hardly  knew  what  to  do  or  say  at  this  atrocious 
proposal.  "  If  you  roast  it  alive,"  he  cried,  "  you  de- 
serve to  be  all  scorched  up  with  lightning.  Take  care 
what  you  do  !  Spare  the  child's  life !  I  will  have  no 
victim.     Beware  how  you  anger  me!" 

But  the  savage  no  sooner  says  than  he  does.  With 
him,  deliberation  is  unknown,  and  impulse  everything. 
In  a  moment,  the  natives  had  gathered  in  a  circle  a  lit- 
tle way  off,  and  began  drawing  lots.  Several  children, 
seized  hurriedly  up  among  the  crowd,  were  huddled 
like  so  many  sheep  in  the  centre.  Felix  looked  on 
from  his  enclosure,  half  petrified  with  horror.  The 
lot  fell  upon  a  pretty  little  girl  of  five  years  old. 
Without  one  word  of  warning,  without  one  sign  of  re- 
morse, before  Felix's  very  eyes,  they  began  to  bind  the 
struggling  and  terrified  child  just  outside  the  circle. 

The  white  man  could  stand  this  horrid  barbarity  no 
longer.  At  the  risk  of  his  life — at  the  risk  of  Muriel's — 
he  must  rush  out  to  prevent  them.  They  should  never 
dare  to  kill  that  helpless  child  before  his  very  eyes. 


THE    GREAT   TABOO.  113 

Come  what  might — though  even  Muriel  should  suffer 
for  it — he  felt  he  must  rescue  that  trembling  little 
creature.  Drawing  his  trusty  knife,  and  opening  the 
big  blade  ostentatiously  before  their  eyes,  he  made  a 
sudden  dart  like  a  wild  beast  across  the  line,  and 
pounced  down  upon  the  party  that  guarded  the  victim. 

Was  it  a  ruse  to  make  him  cross  the  line,  alone,  or 
did  they  really  mean  it  ?  He  hardly  knew ;  but  he 
had  no  time  to  debate  the  abstract  question.  Bursting 
into  their  midst,  he  seized  the  child  with  a  rush  in  his 
circling  arms,  and  tried  to  hurry  back  with  it  within 
the  protecting  taboo-line. 

Quick  as  lightning,  he  was  surrounded  and  almost 
cut  down  by  a  furious  and  frantic  mob  of  half-naked 
savages.  "  Kill  him  !  Tear  him  to  pieces  !"  they  cried 
in  their  rage.  "He  has  a  bad  heart!  He  destroyed 
our  huts!  He  broke  down  our  plantations!  Kill  him, 
kill  him,  kill  him  !" 

As  they  closed  in  upon  him,  with  spears  and  toma- 
hawks and  clubs,  Felix  saw  he  had  nothing  left  for  it 
now  but  a  hard  fight  for  life  to  return  to  the  taboo-line. 
Holding  the  child  in  one  arm,  and  striking  wildly  out 
with  his  knife  with  the  other,  he  tried  to  hack  his  way 
back  by  main  force  to  the  shelter  of  the  taboo-line  in 
frantic  lunges.  The  distance  was  but  a  few  feet,  but 
the  savages  pressed  round  him,  half  frightened  still, 
yet  gnashing  their  teeth  and  distorting  their  faces  with 
anger.  "He  has  broken  the  Taboo,"  they  cried  in 
vehement  tones.  "Pie  has  crossed  the  line  willingly. 
Kill  him!  Kill  him!  We  are  free  from  sin.  We 
have  bought  him  with  a  price — with  many  cocoanuts!" 

At  the  sound  of  the  struggle  going  on  so  close  out- 


H4:    v  THE    r.REAT    TAROO. 

side,  Muriel  rushed  in  frantic  haste  and  terror  from 
the  hut.  Her  face  was  pale,  but  her  demeanor  was 
resolute.  Before  Mali  could  stop  her,  she,  too,  had 
crossed  the  .-acred  line  of  the  coral  mark,  and  had  flung 
herself  madly  upon  Felix's  assailants,  to  cover  his  re- 
treat with  her  own  frail  body. 

uHold  off!"  she  cried,  in  her  horror,  in  English,  but 
in  accents  even  those  savages  could  read.  "  You  shall 
not  touch  him !" 

"With  a  fierce  effort  Felix  tore  his  way  back,  through 
the  spears  and  clubs,  towards  the  place  of  safety.  The 
savages  wounded  him  on  the  way  more  than  once  with 
their  jagged  stone  spear-tips,  and  blood  flowed  from 
his  breast  and  arms  in  profusion.  But  they  didn't 
dare  even  so  to  touch  Muriel.  The  sight  of  that  pure 
white  woman,  rushing  out  in  her  weakness  to  protect 
her  lover's  life  from  attack,  seemed  to  strike  them  with 
some  fresh  access  of  superstitious  awe.  One  or  two 
of  themselves  were  wounded  by  Felix's  knife,  for  they 
were  unaccustomed  to  steel,  though  they  had  a  few 
blades  made  out  of  old  European  barrel-hoops.  For  a 
minute  or  two  the  conflict  was  sharp  and  hotly  contest- 
ed. Then  at  last  Felix  managed  to  fling  the  child  across 
the  line,  to  push  Muriel  with  one  hand  at  arm's-length 
before  him,  and  to  rush  himself  within  the  sacred  circle. 

No  sooner  had  he  crossed  it  than  the  savages  drew 
up  around,  undecided  as  yet,  but  in  a  threatening  body. 
Rank  behind  rank,  their  loose  hair  in  their  eyes,  they 
stood  like  wild  beasts  baulked  of  their  prey,  and  yelled 
at  him.  Some  of  them  brandished  their  spears  and 
their  stone  hatchets  angrily  in  their  victims'  faces. 
Others  contented  themselves  with  howling  aloud  as 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  H5 

before,  and  piling  curses  afresh  on  the  heads  of  the 
unpopular  storm-gods.  "  Look  at  her,"  they  cried,  in 
their  wrath,  pointing  their  skinny  brown  lingers  an- 
grily at  Muriel.  "See,  she  weeps  even  now.  She 
would  flood  us  with  her  rain.  She  isn't  satisfied  with 
all  the  harm  she  has  poured  down  upon  Boupari  al- 
ready.    She  wants  to  drown  us." 

And  then  a  little  knot  drew  up  close  to  the  line  of 
taboo  itself,  and  began  to  discuss  in  loud  and  serious 
tones  a  pressing  question  of  savage  theology  and  re- 
ligious practice. 

"  They  have  crossed  the  line  within  the  three  days," 
some  of  the  foremost  warriors  exclaimed,  in  excited 
voices.  "  They  are  no  longer  taboo.  We  can  do  as 
we  please  with  them.  We  may  cross  the  line  now  our- 
selves if  we  will,  and  tear  them  to  pieces.  Come  on ! 
Who  follows?  Korong!  Korong!  Let  us  rend  them! 
Let  us  eat  them  !" 

But  though  they  spoke  so  bravely,  they  hung  back 
themselves,  fearful  of  passing  that  mysterious  barrier. 
Others  of  the  crowd  answered  them  back,  warmly  : 
"No,  no;  not  so.  Be  careful  what  you  do.  Anger 
not  the  gods.  Don't  ruin  Boupari.  If  the  Taboo  is 
not  indeed  broken,  then  how  dare  we  break  it?  They 
are  gods.  Fear  their  vengeance.  They  are,  indeed, 
terrible.  See  what  happened  to  us  when  they  merely 
ate  of  the  storm-apple !  What  might  not  happen  if 
we  were  to  break  taboo  without  due  cause  and  kill 
them  ?" 

One  old,  gray-bearded  warrior,  in  particular,  held  his 
countrymen  back.  "  Mind  how  you  trifle  with  gods," 
the  old  chief  said,  in  a  tone  of  solemn  warning.    "  Mind 


HO  THE   CHEAT   TABOO. 

how  you  provoke  them.  They  are  very  mighty.  When 
I  was  young,  our  people  killed  three  sailing  gods  who 
came  ashore  in  a  small  canoe,  built  of  thin  split  logs; 
and  within  a  month  an  awful  earthquake  devastated 
Boupari,  and  fire  burst  forth  from  a  mouth  in  the 
ground,  and  the  people  knew  that  the  spirits  of  the 
sailing  gods  were  very  angry.  Wait,  therefore,  till 
Tu-Kila-Kila  himself  comes,  and  then  ask  of  him,  and 
of  Fire  and  Water.  As  Tu-Kila-Kila  bids  you,  that 
do  you  do.  Is  he  not  our  great  god,  the  king  of  us 
all,  and  the  guardian  of  the  customs  of  the  island  of 
Boupari  ?" 

"Is  Tu-Kila-Kila  coming?"  some  of  the  warriors 
asked,  with  bated  breath. 

"How  should  he  not  come?"  the  old  chief  asked, 
drawing  himself  up  very  erect.  "Know  you  not  the 
mysteries  ?  The  rain  has  put  out  all  the  fires  in  Bou- 
pari. The  King  of  Fire  himself,  even  his  hearth  is 
cold.  He  tried  his  best  in  the  storm  to  keep  his  sacred 
embers  still  smouldering;  but  the  King  of  the  Rain 
was  stronger  than  he  was,  and  put  it  out  at  last  in 
spite  of  his  endeavors.  Be  careful,  therefore,  how  you 
deal  with  the  King  of  the  Rain,  who  comes  down 
among  lightnings,  and  is  so  very  powerful." 

"  And  Tu-Kila-Kila  comes  to  fetch  fresh  fire  ?"  one 
of  the  nearest  savages  asked,  with  profound  awe. 

"He  comes  to  fetch  fresh  fire,  new  fire  from  the 
sun,"  the  old  man  answered,  with  awe  in  his  voice. 
"  These  foreign  gods,  are  they  not  strangers  from  the 
sun?  They  have  brought  the  divine  seeds  of  fire, 
growing  in  a  shining  box  that  reflects  the  sunlight. 
They  need  no  rubbing-sticks  and  no  drill  to  kindle 


THE  GREAT   TABOO.  H7 

fresh  flame.  They  touch  the  seed  on  the  box,  and,  lo, 
like  a  miracle,  fire  bursts  forth  from  the  wood  spon- 
taneous.   Tu-Kila-Kila  comes,  to  behold  this  miracle." 

The  warriors  hung  back  with  doubtful  eyes  for  a 
moment.  Then  they  spoke  with  one  accord,  "  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  shall  decide.  Tu-Kila-Kila !  Tu-Kila-Kila ! 
If  the  great  god  says  the  Taboo  holds  good,  we  will  not 
hurt  nor  offend  the  strangers.  But  if  the  great  god 
says  the  Taboo  is  broken,  and  we  are  all  without  sin — 
then,  Korong  !  Korong !  we  will  kill  them  !  We  will 
eat  them !" 

As  the  two  parties  thus  stood  glaring  at  one  another, 
across  that  narrow  imaginary  wall,  another  cry  went 
up  to  heaven  at  the  distant  sound  of  a  peculiar  tom- 
tom. "  Tu-Kila-Kila  comes  !"  they  shouted.  "  Our 
great  god  approaches !  Women,  begone !  Men,  hide 
your  eyes !  Fly,  fly  from  the  brightness  of  his  face, 
which  is  as  the  sun  in  glory !  Tu-Kila-Kila  comes ! 
Fly  far,  all  profane  ones !" 

And  in  a  moment  the  women  had  disappeared  into 
space,  and  the  men  lay  flat  on  the  moist  ground  with 
low  groans  of  surprise,  and  hid  their  faces  in  their 
hands  in  abject  terror. 


CHAPTEK   XIII. 

AS    BETWEEN    GODS. 


Tu-Kila-Kila  came  up  in  his  grandest  panoply.  The 
great  umbrella,  with  the  hanging  cords,  rose  high  over 
his  head;  the  King  of  Fire  and  the  King  of  Water,  in 


118  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

their  robes  of  state,  marched  slowly  by  his  side;  a 
whole  group  of  slaves  and  temple  attendants,  clapping 
hands  in  unison,  followed  obedient  at  his  sacred  heels. 
But  as  soon  as  he  reached  the  open  space  in  front  of 
the  huts  and  began  to  speak,  Felix  could  easily  see,  in 
spite  of  his  own  agitation  and  the  excitement  of  the 
moment,  that  the  implacable  god  himself  was  pro- 
foundly frightened.  Last  night's  storm  had,  indeed, 
been  terrible;  but  Tu-Kila-Kila  mentally  coupled  it 
with  Felix's  attitude  towards  himself  at  their  last  inter- 
view, and  really  believed  in  his  own  heart  he  had  met, 
after  all,  with  a  stronger  god,  more  powerful  than  him- 
self, who  could  make  the  clouds  burst  forth  in  fire  and 
the  earth  tremble.  The  savage  swaggered  a  good  deal, 
to  be  sure,  as  is  often  the  fashion  with  savages  when 
frightened ;  but  Felix  could  see  between  the  lines,  that 
he  swaggered  only  on  the  familiar  principle  of  whist- 
ling to  keep  your  courage  up,  and  that  in  his  heart  of 
hearts  he  was  most  unspeakably  terrified. 

"You  did  not  do  well,  O  King  of  the  Rain,  last 
night,"  he  said,  after  an  interchange  of  civilities,  as 
becomes  great  gods.  "  You  have  put  out  even  the 
sacred  flame  on  the  holy  hearth  of  the  King  of  Fire. 
You  have  a  bad  heart.     Why  do  you  use  us  so  ?" 

"  Why  do  you  let  your  people  offer  human  sacri- 
fices 2"  Felix  answered,  boldly,  taking  advantage  of  his 
position.  "  They  are  hateful  in  our  sight,  these  canni- 
bal ways.  While  we  remain  on  the  island,  no  human 
life  shall  be  unjustly  taken.     Do  you  understand  me?" 

Tu-Kila-Kila  drew  back,  and  gazed  around  him  sus- 
piciously. In  all  his  experience  no  one  had  ever  dared 
to  address  him  like  that.    Assuredly,  the  stranger  from 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  HQ 

the  sun  must  be  a  very  great  god — how  great,  he  hard- 
ly dared  to  himself  to  realize.  He  shrugged  his  shoul- 
ders. "When  we  mighty  deities  of  the  first  order 
speak  together,  face  to  face,"  he  said,  with  an  uneasy 
air,  "  it  is  not  well  that  the  mere  common  herd  of  men 
should  overhear  our  profound  deliberations.  Let  us 
go  inside  your  hut.     Let  us  confer  in  private." 

They  entered  the  hut  alone,  Muriel  still  clinging  to 
Felix's  arm,  in  speechless  terror.  Then  Felix  at  once 
began  to  explain  the  situation.  As  he  spoke,  a  baleful 
light  gleamed  in  Tu-Kila-Kila's  eye.  The  great  god 
removed  his  mulberry-paper  mask.  He  was  evidently 
delighted  at  the  turn  things  had  taken.  If  only  he 
dared — but  there ;  he  dared  not.  "  Fire  and  Water 
would  never  allow  it,"  he  murmured  softly  to  him- 
self. "  They  know  the  taboos  as  well  as  I  do."  It 
was  clear  to  Felix  that  the  savage  would  gladly  have 
sacrificed  him  if  he  dared,  and  that  he  made  no  bones 
about  letting  him  know  it ;  but  the  custom  of  the  isl- 
anders bound  him  as  tightly  as  it  bound  themselves, 
and  he  was  afraid  to  transgress  it. 

"  Now  listen,"  Felix  said,  at  last,  after  a  long  pala- 
ver, looking  in  the  savage's  face  with  a  resolute  air: 
"  Tu-Kila-Kila,  we  are  not  afraid  of  you.  We  are  not 
afraid  of  all  your  people.  I  went  out  alone  just  now 
to  rescue  that  child,  and,  as  you  see,  I  succeeded  in 
rescuing  it.  Your  people  have  wounded  me — look  at 
the  blood  on  my  arms  and  chest — but  I  don't  mind  for 
wounds.  I  mean  you  to  do  as  I  say,  and  to  make  your 
people  do  so,  too.  Understand,  the  nation  to  which  I 
belong  is  very  powerful.  You  have  heard  of  the  sail- 
ing gods  who  go  over  the  sea  in  canoes  of  fire,  as  swift 


120  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

us  the  wind,  and  whose  weapons  are  hollow  tubes,  that 
belch  forth  great  bolts  of  lightning  and  thunder  ?  Very 
well,  I  am  one  of  them.  If  ever  you  harm  a  hair  of 
our  heads,  those  sailing  gods  will  before  long  send  one 
of  their  mighty  lire-canoes,  and  bring  to  bear  upon 
your  island  their  thunder  and  lightning,  and  destroy 
your  huts,  and  punish  you  for  the  wrong  you  have 
ventured  to  do  us.  So  now  you  know.  Remember 
that  you  act  exactly  as  I  tell  you." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  was  evidently  overawed  by  the  white 
man's  resolute  voice  and  manner.  He  had  heard  be- 
fore of  the  sailing  gods  (as  the  Polynesians  of  the 
old  school  still  call  the  Europeans) ;  and  though  but 
one  or  two  stray  individuals  among  them  had  ever 
reached  his  remote  island  (mostly  as  castaways),  he  was 
quite  well  enough  acquainted  with  their  might  and 
power  to  be  deeply  impressed  by  Felix's  exhortation. 
So  he  tried  to  temporize.  "  Very  well,"  he  made  an- 
swer, with  his  jauntiest  air,  assuming  a  tone  of  friendly 
good-fellowship  towards  his  brother-god.  "  I  will  bear 
it  in  mind.  I  will  try  to  humor  you.  While  your 
time  lasts,  no  man  shall  hurt  you.  But  if  I  promise 
you  that,  you  must  do  a  good  turn  for  me  instead. 
You  must  come  out  before  the  people  and  give  me  a 
new  fire  from  the  sun,  that  you  carry  in  a  shining  box 
about  with  you.  The  King  of  Fire  has  allowed  his 
sacred  flame  to  go  out  in  deference  to  your  flood  ;  for 
last  night,  you  know,  you  came  down  heavily.  Never 
in  my  life  have  I  known  you  come  down  heavier.  The 
King  of  Fire  acknowledges  himself  beaten.  So  give 
us  light  now  before  the  people,  that  they  may  know 
we  are  gods,  and  may  fear  to  disobey  us." 


THE    GREAT  TABOO.  121 

"Only  on  one  condition,"  Felix  answered,  sternly; 
for  he  felt  he  had  Tu-Kila-Kila  more  or  less  in  his 
power  now,  and  that  he  could  drive  a  bargain  with 
him.  Why,  he  wasn't  sure;  but  he  saw  Tu-Kila-Kila 
attached  a  profound  importance  to  having  the  sacred 
fire  relighted,  as  he  thought,  direct  from  heaven. 

"  What  condition  is  that  ?"  Tu-Kila-Kila  asked,  glanc- 
ing about  him  suspiciously. 

"Why,  that  you  give  up  in  future  human  sacri- 
fices." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  gave  a  start.  Then  he  reflected  for  a 
moment.  Evidently,  the  condition  seemed  to  him  a 
very  hard  one.  "  Do  you  want  all  the  victims  for 
yourself  and  her,  then  V  he  asked,  with  a  casual  nod 
aside  towards  Muriel. 

Felix  drew  back,  with  horror  depicted  on  every  line 
of  his  face.  "  Heaven  forbid  !"  he  answered,  fervently. 
"  We  want  no  bloodshed,  no  human  victims.  We  ask 
you  to  give  #ip  these  horrid  practices,  because  they 
shock  and  revolt  us.  If  you  would  have  your  fire 
lighted,  you  must  promise  us  to  put  down  cannibal- 
ism altogether  henceforth  in  your  island." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  hesitated.  After  all,  it  was  only  for  a 
very  short  time  that  these  strangers  could  thus  beard 
him.  Their  day  would  come  soon.  They  were  but 
Korongs.  Meanwhile,  it  was  best,  no  doubt,  to  effect 
a  compromise.  "Agreed,"  he  answered,  slowly.  "I 
will  put  down  human  sacrifices — so  long  as  you  live 
among  us.  And  I  will  tell  the  people  your  taboo  is 
not  broken.  All  shall  be  done  as  you  will  in  this  mat- 
ter. Now,  come  out  before  the  crowd  and  light  the 
fire  from  Heaven." 


122  THE  GREAT  TABOO. 

"Remember,"  Felix  repeated,  "if  you  break  your 
word,  my  people  will  come  down  upon  you,  sooner  or 
later,  in  their  mighty  fire-canoes,  and  will  take  ven- 
geance for  your  crime,  and  destroy  you  utterly." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  smiled  a  cunning  smile.  "I  know  all 
that,"  he  answered.  "  I  am  a  god  myself,  not  a  fool, 
don't  yon  see?  You  are  a  very  great  god,  too;  but  I 
am  the  greater.  No  more  of  words  between  us  two. 
It  is  as  between  gods.     The  fire  !  the  fire !" 

Tu-Kila-Kila  replaced  his  mask.  They  proceeded 
from  the  hut  to  the  open  space  within  the  taboo-line. 
The  people  still  lay  all  flat  on  their  faces.  "  Fire 
and  Water,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  said,  in  a  commanding  tone, 
"come  forward  and  screen  me!" 

The  King  of  Fire  and  the  King  of  Water  unrolled 
a  large  square  of  native  cloth,  which  they  held  up  as  a 
screen  on  two  poles  in  front  of  their  superior  deity. 
Tu-Kila-Kila  sat  down  on  the  ground,  hugging  his 
knees,  in  the  common  squatting  savage  fashion,  be- 
hind the  veil  thus  readily  formed  for  him.  "  Taboo  is 
removed,"  he  said,  in  loud,  clear  tones.  "  My  people 
may  rise.  The  light  will  not  burn  them.  They  may 
look  towards  the  place  where  Tu-Kila-Kila's  face  is 
hidden  from  them." 

The  people  all  rose  with  one  accord,  and  gazed 
straight  before  them. 

"  The  King  of  Fire  will  bring  dry  sticks,"  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  said,  in  his  accustomed  regal  manner. 

The  King  of  Fire,  sticking  one  pole  of  the  screen 
into  the  ground  securely,  brought  forward  a  bundle  of 
sun-dried  sticks  and  leaves  from  a  basket  beside  him. 

"  The  King  of  the  Rain,  who  has  put  out  all  our 


•   THE   GREAT    TABOO.  123 

hearths  with  his  flood  last  night,  will  relight  them 
again  with  new  fire,  fresh  flame  from  the  sun,  rajs  of 
our  disk,  divine,  mystic,  wonderful,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  pro- 
claimed, in  his  droning  monotone. 

Felix  advanced  as  he  spoke  to  the  pile,  and  struck 
a  match  before  the  eyes  of  all  the  islanders.  As  they 
saw  it  light,  and  then  set  fire  to  the  wood,  a  loud  cry 
went  up  once  more,  "  Tu-Kila-Kila  is  great !  His 
words  are  true !  He  has  brought  fire  from  the  sun ! 
His  ways  are  wonderful !" 

Tu-Kila-Kila,  from  his  point  of  vantage  behind  the 
curtain,  strove  to  improve  the  occasion  with  a  theologi- 
cal lesson.  "  That  is  the  way  we  have  learned  from 
our  divine  ancestors,"  he  said,  slowly ;  "  the  rule  of 
the  gods  in  our  island  of  Boupari.  Each  god,  as  he 
grows  old,  reincarnates  himself  visibly.  Before  he  can 
grow  feeble  and  die  he  immolates  himself  willingly  on 
his  own  altar ;  and  a  younger  and  a  stronger  than  he 
receives  his  spirit.  Thus  the  gods  are  always  young 
and  always  with  you.  Behold  myself,  Tu-Kila-Kila ! 
Am  I  not  from  old  times?  Am  I  not  very  ancient? 
Have  I  not  passed  through  many  bodies?  Do  I  not 
spring  ever  fresh  from  my  own  ashes  ?  Do  I  not  eat 
perpetually  the  flesh  of  new  victims?  Even  so  with 
fire.  The  flames  of  our  island  were  becoming  impure. 
The  King  of  Fire  saw  his  cinders  flickering.  So  I 
gave  my  word.  The  King  of  the  Rain  descended  in 
floods  upon  them.  He  put  them  all  out.  And  now 
he  rekindles  them.  They  burn  up  brighter  and  fresher 
than  ever.  They  burn  to  cook  my  meat,  the  limbs  of 
my  victims.  Take  heed  that  you  do  the  King  of  the 
Rain  no  harm  as  long  as  he  remains  within  his  sacred 


124  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

circle.  He  is  a  very  great  god.  He  is  fierce ;  he  is 
cruel.  His  taboo  is  not  broken.  Beware!  Beware! 
Disobey  at  your  peril.     I,  Tu-Kila-Kila,  have  spoken." 

As  he  spoke,  it  seemed  to  Felix  that  these  strange 
mystic  words  about  each  god  springing  fresh  from  his 
own  ashes  must  contain  the  solution  of  that  dread  prob- 
lem they  were  trying  in  vain  to  read.  That,  perhaps, 
was  the  secret  of  Korong.  If  only  they  could  ever 
manage  to  understand  it ! 

Tu-Kila-Kila  beat  his  tom-tom  twice.  In  a  second 
all  the  people  fell  flat  on  their  faces  again.  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  rose ;  the  kings  of  Fire  and  Water  held  the  um- 
brella over  him.  The  attendants  on  either  side  clapped 
hands  in  time  to  the  sacred  tom-tom.  "With  proud, 
slow  tread,  the  god  retraced  his  steps  to  his  own  palace- 
temple  ;  and  Muriel  and  Felix  were  left  alone  at  last 
in  their  dusty  enclosure. 

"  Tu-Kila-Kila  hates  me,"  Felix  said,  later  in  the 
day,  to  his  attentive  Shadow. 

"  Of  course,"  the  young  man  answered,  with  a  tone 
of  natural  assent.  "  To  be  sure  he  hates  you.  How 
could  he  do  otherwise  ?  You  are  Korong.  You  may 
any  day  be  his  enemy." 

"  But  he's  afraid  of  me,  too,"  Felix  went  on.  "  He 
would  have  liked  to  let  the  people  tear  me  in  pieces. 
Yet  he  dared  not  risk  it.  He  seems  to  dread  offend- 
ing me." 

"  Of  course,"  the  Shadow  replied,  as  readily  as  be- 
fore. "  He  is  very  much  afraid  of  you.  Y"ou  are  Ko- 
rong. You  may  any  day  supplant  him.  He  would 
like  to  get  rid  of  you,  if  he  could  see  his  way.  But 
till  your  time  conies  he  dare  not  touch  you." 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  125 

"When  will  my  time  come?"  Felix  asked,  with  that 
dim  apprehension  of  some  horrible  end  coming  over 
him  yet  again  in  all  its  vague  weirdness. 

The  Shadow  shook  his  head.  "  That,"  he  answered, 
"  it  is  not  lawful  for  me  so  much  as  to  mention.  I  tell 
you  too  far.  You  will  know  soon  enough.  Wait,  and 
be  patient." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

"MR.  THURSTAN,  I   PRESUME." 

Naturally  enough,  it  was  some  time  before  Felix 
and  Muriel  could  recover  from  the  shock  of  their  dead- 
ly peril.  Yet,  strange  to  say,  the  natives  at  the  end 
of  three  days  seemed  positively  to  have  forgotten  all 
about  it.  Their  loves  and  their  hates  were  as  short- 
lived as  children's.  As  soon  as  the  period  of  seclusion 
was  over,  their  attentions  to  the  two  strangers  redoubled 
in  intensity.  They  were  evidently  most  anxious,  after 
this  brief  disagreement,  to  reassure  the  new  gods,  who 
came  from  the  sun,  of  their  gratitude  and  devotion. 
The  men  who  had  wounded  Felix,  in  particular,  now 
came  daily  in  the  morning  with  exceptional  gifts  of 
fish,  fruit,  and  flowers ;  they  would  bring  a  crab  from 
the  sea,  or  a  joint  of  turtle -meat.  "Forgive  us,  O 
king,"  they  cried,  prostrating  themselves,  humbly. 
"  We  did  not  mean  to  hurt  you ;  we  thought  your 
time  had  really  come.  You  are  a  Korong.  We  would 
not  offend  you.  Do  not  refuse  us  your  showers  be- 
cause of  our  sin.     We  are  very  penitent.     We  will  do 


126  THE   GREAT   TAROO. 

what  you  ask  of  us.  Your  look  is  poison.  See,  here 
is  wood ;  here  are  leaves  and  fire ;  we  are  but  your 
meat;  choose  and  cook  which  you  will  of  us!" 

It  was  useless  Felix's  trying  to  explain  to  them  that 
he  wanted  no  victims,  and  no  propitiation.  The  more 
he  protested,  the  more  they  brought  gifts.  "  He  is  a 
very  great  god,"  they  exclaimed.  "  He  wants  nothing 
from  us.  What  can  we  give  him  that  will  be  an  ac- 
ceptable gift?  Shall  we  offer  him  ourselves,  our  wives, 
our  children  ?" 

As  for  the  women,  when  they  saw  how  thoroughly 
frightened  of  them  Muriel  now  was,  they  couldn't  find 
means  to  express  their  regret  and  devotion.  Mothers 
brought  their  little  children,  whom  she  had  patted  on 
the  head,  and  offered  them,  just  outside  the  line,  as 
presents  for  her  acceptance.  They  explained  to  her 
Shadow  that  they  never  meant  to  hurt  her,  and  that, 
if  only  she  would  venture  without  the  line,  as  of  old, 
all  should  be  well,  and  they  would  love  and  adore  her. 
Mali  translated  to  her  mistress  these  speeches  and  pray- 
ers. "  Them  say,  '  You  come  back,  Queenie,'  "  she 
explained  in  her  broken  Queensland  English.  " '  Bou- 
pari  women  love  you  very  much.  Boupari  women 
glad  you  come.  You  kind  ;  you  beautiful !  All  Bou- 
pari men  and  women  very  much  pleased  with  you  and 
the  gentleman,  because  you  give  back  him  cocoanut 
and  fruit  that  yon  pick  in  the  storm,  and  because  you 
bring  down  fresh  fire  from  heaven.'  " 

Gradually,  after  several  days,  Felix's  confidence  was 
so  far  restored  that  he  ventured  to  stroll  beyond  the 
line  again ;  and  he  found  himself,  indeed,  most  popu- 
lar among  the  people.     In  various  ways  he  picked  up 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  127 

gradually  the  idea  that  the  islanders  generally  disliked 
Tu-Kila-Kila,  and  liked  himself ;  and  that  they  some- 
how regarded  him  as  Tu-Kila-Kila's  natural  enemy. 
What  it  could  all  mean  he  did  not  yet  understand, 
though  some  inklings  of  an  explanation  occasionally 
occurred  to  him.  Oh,  how  he  longed  now  for  the 
Month  of  Birds  to  end,  in  order  that  he  might  pay  his 
long-deferred  visit  to  the  mysterious  Frenchman,  from 
whose  voice  his  Shadow  had  fled  on  that  fateful  even- 
ing with  such  sudden  precipitancy.  The  Frenchman, 
he  judged,  must  have  been  long  on  the  island,  and 
could  probably  give  him  some  satisfactory  solution  of 
this  abstruse  problem. 

So  he  was  glad,  indeed,  when  one  evening,  some  weeks 
later,  his  Shadow,  observing  the  sky  narrowly,  remarked 
to  him  in  a  low  voice,  "New  moon  to-morrow!  The 
Month  of  Birds  will  then  be  up.  In  the  morning  you 
can  go  and  see  your  brother  god  at  the  Abode  of  Birds 
without  breaking  taboo.  The  Month  of  Turtles  begins 
at  sunrise.  My  family  god  is  a  turtle,  so  I  know  the 
day  for  it." 

So  great  was  Felix's  impatience  to  settle  this  question, 
that  almost  before  the  sun  was  up  next  day  he  had  set 
forth  from  his  hut,  accompanied  as  usual  by  his  faith- 
ful Shadow.  Their  way  lay  past  Tu-Kila-Kila's  tem- 
ple. As  they  went  by  the  entrance  with  the  bamboo 
posts,  Felix  happened  to  glance  aside  through  the  gate 
to  the  sacred  enclosure.  Early  as  it  was,  Tu-Kila-Kila 
was  afoot  already ;  and,  to  Felix's  great  surprise,  was 
pacing  up  and  down,  with  that  stealthy,  wary  look  upon 
his  cunning  face  that  Muriel  had  so  particularly  noted 
on  the  day  of  their  first  arrival.     His  spear  stood  in 


12S  THE  GBEAT   TABOO. 

his  hand,  and  his  tomahawk  hung  by  his  left  side;  he 
peered  about  him  suspiciously,  with  a  cautious  glance, 
as  he  walked  round  and  round  the  sacred  tree  he  guard- 
ed so  continually.  There  was  something  weird  and 
awful  in  the  sight  of  that  savage  god,  thus  condemned 
by  his  own  superstition  and  the  custom  of  his  people 
to  tramp  ceaselessly  up  and  down  before  the  sacred 
banyan. 

At  sight  of  Felix,  however,  a  sudden  burst  of  frenzy 
seemed  to  possess  at  once  all  Tu-Kila-Kila's  limbs. 
He  brandished  his  spear  violently,  and  set  himself  spas- 
modically in  a  posture  of  defence.  His  brow  grew 
black,  and  his  eyes  darted  out  eternal  hate  and  suspi- 
cion. It  was  evident  he  expected  an  instant  attack, 
and  was  prepared  with  all  his  might  and  main  to  re- 
sist aggression.  Yet  he  never  offered  to  desert  his  post 
by  the  tree  or  to  assume  the  offensive.  Clearly,  he 
was  guarding  the  sacred  grove  itself  with  jealous  care, 
and  was  as  eager  for  its  safety  as  for  his  own  life  or 
honor. 

Felix  passed  on,  wondering  what  it  all  could  mean, 
and  turned  with  an  inquiring  glance  to  his  trembling 
Shadow.  As  for  Toko,  he  had  held  his  face  averted 
meanwhile,  lest  he  should  behold  the  great  god,  and 
be  scorched  to  a  cinder;  but  in  answer  to  Felix's  mute 
inquiry  he  murmured  low:  "Was  Tu-Ivila-Kila  there? 
Were  all  things  right?  Was  he  on  guard  at  his  post 
by  the  tree  already  ?" 

"  Yes,"  Felix  replied,  with  that  weird  sense  of  mys- 
tery creeping  over  him  now  more  profoundly  than  ever. 
"  He  wTas  on  guard  by  the  tree,  and  he  looked  at  me 
angrily." 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  129 

"  Ah,"  the  Shadow  remarked,  with  a  sigh  of  regret, 
"  he  keeps  watch  well.  It  will  be  hard  work  to  assail 
him.  No  god  in  Boupari  ever  held  his  place  so  tight. 
Who  wishes  to  take  Tu-Kila-Kila's  divinity  must  get 
up  early." 

They  went  on  in  silence  to  the  little  volcanic  knoll 
near  the  centre  of  the  island.  There,  in  the  neat  gar- 
den plot  they  had  observed  before,  a  man,  in  the  last 
relics  of  a  very  tattered  European  costume,  much  cov- 
ered with  a  short  cape  of  native  cloth,  was  tending  his 
flowers  and  singing  to  himself  merrily.  His  back  was 
turned  to  them  as  they  came  up.  Felix  paused  a  mo- 
ment, unseen,  and  caught  the  words  the  stranger  was 
singing : 

"  Tres  jolie, 
Peii  polie, 

Posse'dant  un  gros  magot ; 
Fort  en  gueule, 
Pas  begueule  ; 
Telle  etait— " 

The  stranger  looked  up,  and  paused  in  the  midst  of 
his  lines,  open-mouthed.  For  a  moment  he  stood  and 
stared  astonished.  Then,  raising  his  native  cap  with 
a  graceful  air,  and  bowing  low,  as  he  would  have  bowed 
to  a  lady  on  the  Boulevard,  he  advanced  to  greet  a 
brother  European  with  the  familiar  words,  in  good 
educated  French,  "  Monsieur,  I  salute  you !" 

To  Felix,  the  sound  of  a  civilized  voice,  in  the  midst 
of  so  much  strange  and  primitive  barbarism,  was  like 
a  sudden  return  to  some  forgotten  world,  so  deeply  and 
profoundly  did  it  move  and  impress  him.  He  grasped 
the  sunburnt  Frenchman's  rugged  hand  in  his.  "  Who 
are  you?"  he  cried,  in  the  very  best  Parisian  he  could 
9 


130  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

muster  up  on  the  spur  of  the  moment.     "And  how 
did  you  come  here  '" 

"  Monsieur,"  the  Frenchman  answered,  no  less  pro- 
foundly moved  than  himself,  "this  is,  indeed,  wonder- 
ful !  Do  I  hear  once  more  that  beautiful  language 
spoken  ?  Do  I  find  myself  once  more  in  the  presence 
of  a  civilized  person  ?  What  fortune !  What  happi- 
ness !    Ah,  it  is  glorious,  glorious." 

For  some  seconds  they  stood  and  looked  at  one 
another  in  silence,  grasping  their  hands  hard  again 
and  again  with  intense  emotion ;  then  Felix  repeated 
his  question  a  second  time :  "  Who  are  you,  monsieur  ? 
and  where  do  you  come  from  ?" 

"  Your  name,  surname,  age,  occupation  ?"  the  French- 
man repeated,  bursting  forth  at  last  into  national  lev- 
ity. "Ah,  monsieur,  what  a  joy  to  hear  those  well- 
known  inquiries  in  my  ear  once  more.  I  hasten  to 
gratify  your  legitimate  curiosity.  Name :  Peyron ; 
Christian  name:  Jules;  age:  forty-one;  occupation: 
convict,  escaped  from  New  Caledonia." 

Under  any  other  circumstances  that  last  qualification 
might  possibly  have  been  held  an  undesirable  one  in 
a  new  acquaintance.  But  on  the  island  of  Boupari, 
among  so  many  heathen  cannibals,  prejudices  pale  be- 
fore community  of  blood  ;  even  a  New  Caledonian  con- 
vict is  at  least  a  Christian  European.  Felix  received 
the  strange  announcement  without  the  faintest  shock 
of  surprise  or  disgust.  He  would  gladly  have  shaken 
hands  then  and  there  with  M.  Jules  Peyron,  indeed, 
had  he  introduced  himself  in  even  less  equivocal  lan- 
guage as  a  forger,  ;i  pickpocket,  or  an  escaped  house- 
breaker. 


THE    GREAT   TABOO.  131 

"  And  you,  monsieur  ?"  the  ex-convict  inquired,  po- 
litely. 

Felix  told  him  in  a  few  words  the  history  of  their 
accident  and  their  arrival  on  the  island. 

"  Comment  V  the  Frenchman  exclaimed,  with  sur- 
prise and  delight.  "  A  lady  as  well ;  a  charming  Eng- 
lish lady  !  What  an  acquisition  to  the  society  of  Bou- 
pari !  Quelle  chance !  Quel  oonheur !  Monsieur, 
you  are  welcome,  and  mademoiselle  too !  And  in 
what  quality  do  you  live  here?  You  are  a  god,  I  see ; 
otherwise  you  would  not  have  dared  to  transgress  my 
taboo,  nor  would  this  young  man — your  Shadow,  I  sup- 
pose— have  permitted  you  to  do  so.  But  which  sort 
of  god,  pray  ?     Korong — or  Tula  ?" 

"  They  call  me  Korong,"  Felix  answered,  all  tremu- 
lous, feeling  himself  now  on  the  very  verge  of  solving 
this  profound  mystery. 

"  And  mademoiselle  as  well  ?"  the  Frenchman  ex- 
claimed, in  a  tone  of  dismay. 

"  And  mademoiselle  as  well,"  Felix  replied.  "  At 
least,  so  I  make  out.  We  are  both  Korong.  I  have 
many  times  heard  the  natives  call  us  so." 

His  new  acquaintance  seized  his  hand  with  every 
appearance  of  genuine  alarm  and  regret.  "My  poor 
frierrd,"  he  exclaimed,  with  a  horrified  face,  "  this  is 
terrible,  terrible !  Tu-Kila-Kila  is  a  very  hard  man. 
What  can  we  do  to  save  your  life  and  mademoiselle's ! 
We  are  powerless !  Powerless !  I  have  only  that 
much  to  say.  I  condole  with  you !  I  commiserate 
you  !" 

"  Why,  what  does  Korong  mean  ?"  Felix  asked,  with 
blanched  lips.    "  Is  it  then  something  so  very  terrible?" 


132  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

"  Terrible  !  Ah,  terrible  I"  the  Frenchman  answered, 
holding  up  his  bands  in  horror  and  alarm.  "I  hardly 
know  how  we  can  avert  your  fate.  Step  within  my 
poor  hut,  or  under  the  shade  of  my  Tree  of  Liberty 
here,  and  I  will  tell  you  all  the  little  I  know  about 
it." 


CHAPTER   XV. 

THE   SECRET   OF   KORONG. 


"  You  have  lived  here  long  ?"  Felix  asked,  with  trem- 
ulous interest,  as  he  took  a  seat  on  the  bench  under  the 
big  tree,  towards  which  his  new  host  politely  motioned 
him.  "  You  know  the  people  well,  and  all  their  super- 
stitions ?" 

"Helas,  yes,  monsieur,"  the  Frenchman  answered, 
with  a  sigh  of  regret.  "  Eighteen  years  have  I  spent 
altogether  in  this  beast  of  a  Pacific ;  nine  as  a  convict 
in  New  Caledonia,  and  nine  more  as  a  god  here ;  and, 
believe  me,  I  hardly  know  which  is  the  harder  post. 
Yours  is  the  first  white  face  I  have  ever  seen  since 
my  arrival  in  this  cursed  island." 

"  And  how  did  you  come  here  ?"  Felix  asked,  half 
breathless,  for  the  very  magnitude  of  the  stake  at  issue 
— no  less  a  stake  than  Muriel's  life — made  him  hesitate 
to  put  point-blank  the  question  he  had  most  at  heart  for 
the  moment. 

"Monsieur,"  the  Frenchman  answered,  trying  to 
cover  his  rags  with  his  native  cape,  "  that  explains  itself 
easily.     I  was  a  medical  student  in  Paris  in  the  days 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  133 

of  the  Commune.  Ah  !  that  beloved  Paris — how  far 
away  it  seems  now  from  Bonpari !  Like  all  other 
students  I  was  advanced — Republican,  Socialist — what 
you  will — a  political  enthusiast.  When  the  events 
took  place — the  events  of  '70 — I  espoused  with  all  my 
heart  the  cause  of  the  people.  You  know  the  rest. 
The  bourgeoisie  conquered.  I  was  taken  red-handed, 
as  the  Versaillais  said — my  pistol  in  my  grasp  —  an 
open  revolutionist.  They  tried  me  by  court-martial — 
br'r'r — no  delay — guilty,  M.  le  President — hard  labor 
to  perpetuity.  They  sent  me  with  that  brave  Louise 
Michel  and  so  many  other  good  comrades  of  the  cause 
to  New  Caledonia.  There,  nine  years  of  convict  life 
was  more  than  enough  for  me.  One  day  I  found  a 
canoe  on  the  shore — a  little  Kanaka  canoe — you  know 
the  type — a  mere  shapeless  dug-out.  Hastily  I  loaded 
it  with  food — yam,  taro,  bread-fruit — I  pushed  it  off 
into  the  sea — I  embarked  alone — I  intrusted  myself 
and  all  my  fortunes  to  the  Bon  Dieu  and  the  wide  Pa- 
cific. The  Bon  Dieu  did  not  wholly  justify  my  confi- 
dence. It  is  a  way  he  has — that  inscrutable  one.  Six 
weeks  I  floated  hither  and  thither  before  varying 
winds.  At  last  one  evening  I  reached  this  island.  I 
floated  ashore.     And,  enfin,  me  mold  /" 

"  Then  you  were  a  political  prisoner  only  ?"  Felix 
said,  politely. 

M.  Jules  Peyron  drew  himself  up  with  much  dignity 
in  his  tattered  costume.  "  Do  I  look  like  a  card- 
sharper,  monsieur?"  he  asked  simply,  with  offended 
honor. 

Felix  hastened  to  reassure  him  of  his  perfect  confi- 
dence.     "  On  the  contrary,  monsieur,"  he  said,  "  the 


134-  THE   GREAT    TABOO. 

moment  I  heard  you  were  a  convict  from  New  Cale- 
donia, I  felt  certain  in  my  heart  you  could  be  nothing 
less  than  one  of  those  unfortunate  and  ill-treated  Com- 
munards. 

';  Monsieur,"  the  Frenchman  said,  seizing  his  hand 
a  second  time, "I  perceive  that  I  have  to  do  with  a 
man  of  honor  and  a  man  of  feeling.  Well,  I  landed 
on  this  island,  and  they  made  me  a  god.  From  that 
day  to  this  I  have  been  anxious  only  to  shuffle  off  my 
imwelcome  divinity,  and  return  as  a  mere  man  to  the 
shores  of  Europe.  Better  be  a  valet  in  Paris,  say  I, 
than  a  deity  of  the  best  in  Polynesia.  It  is  a  monot- 
onous existence  here  —  no  society,  no  life  —  and  the 
cuisine — bah,  execrable  !  But  till  the  other  day,  when 
your  steamer  passed,  I  have  scarcely  even  sighted  a 
European  ship.  A  boat  came  here  once,  worse  luck, 
to  put  off  two  girls  (who  didn't  belong  to  Boupari), 
returned  indentured  laborers  from  Queensland ;  but, 
unhappily,  it  was  during  my  taboo — the  Month  of  Birds, 
as  my  jailers  call  it — and  though  I  tried  to  go  down  to 
it  or  to  make  signals  of  distress,  the  natives  stood  round 
my  hut  with  their  spears  in  line,  and  prevented  me  by 
main  force  from  signalling  to  them  or  communicating 
with  them.  Even  the  other  day,  I  never  heard  of  your 
arrival  till  a  fortnight  had  elapsed,  for  I  had  been  sick 
with  fever,  the  fever  of  the  country,  and  as  soon  as  my 
Shadow  told  me  of  your  advent  it  was  my  taboo  again, 
and  I  was  obliged  to  defer  for  myself  the  honor  of  call- 
ing upon  my  new  acquaintances.  I  am  a  god,  of  course, 
and  can  do  what  I  like :  but  while  my  taboo  is  on,  ma 
foi,  monsieur,  I  can  hardly  call  my  life  my  own,  I  as- 
sure you." 


THE   GREAT    TABOO.  135 

"But  your  taboo  is  up  to-day,"  Felix  said,  "so  ray 
Shadow  tells  me." 

"  Your  Shadow  is  a  very  well-informed  young  man," 
M.  Peyron  answered,  with  easy  French  sprightliness. 
"  As  for  my  donkey  of  a  valet,  he  never  by  any  chance 
knows  or  tells  me  anything.  I  had  just  sent  him  out 
—  the  pig  —  to  learn,  if  possible,  your  nationality  and 
name,  and  what  hours  you  preferred,  as  I  proposed 
later  in  the  day  to  pay  my  respects  to  mademoiselle, 
your  friend,  if  she  would  deign  to  receive  me." 

"  Miss  Ellis  would  be  charmed,  I'm  sure,"  Felix 
replied,  smiling  in  spite  of  himself  at  so  much  Parisian 
courtliness  under  so  ragged  an  exterior.  l(  It  is  a  great 
pleasure  to  us  to  find  we  are  not  really  alone  on  this 
barbarous  island.  But  you  were  going  to  explain  to 
me,  I  believe,  the  exact  nature  of  this  peril  in  which  we 
both  stand — the  precise  distinction  between  Korong 
and  Tula." 

"  Alas,  monsieur,"  the  Frenchman  replied,  drawing 
circles  in  the  dust  with  his  stick  with  much  discom- 
posure, "  I  can  only  tell  you  I  have  been  trying  to  make 
out  the  secret  of  this  distinction  myself  ever  since  the 
first  day  I  came  to  the  island;  but  so  reticent  are  all 
the  natives  about  it,  and  so  deep  is  the  taboo  by  which 
the  mystery  is  guarded,  that  even  now  I,  who  am  ray- 
self  Tula,  can  tell  you  but  very  little  with  certainty  on 
the  subject.  All  I  can  say  for  sure  is  this — that  gods 
called  Tula  retain  their  godship  in  permanency  for  a 
very  long  time,  although  at  the  end  some  violent  fate, 
which  I  do  not  clearly  understand,  is  destined  to  be- 
fall them.  That  is  my  condition  as  King  of  the  Birds 
— for  no  doubt  they  have  told  you  that  I,  Jules  Peyron 


136  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

—  Republican,  Socialist,  Communist  —  have  been  ele- 
vated against  my  will  to  the  honors  of  royalty.  That 
is  my  condition,  and  it  matters  but  little  to  me,  for  I 
know  not  when  the  end  may  come;  and  we  can  but 
die  once;  how  or  where,  what  matters?  Meanwhile, 
I  have  my  distractions,  my  little  agrements  —  my 
gardens,  my  music,  my  birds,  my  native  friends,  my 
eoquetteries,  my  aviary.  As  King  of  the  Birds,  I 
keep  a  small  collection  of  my  subjects  in  the  living 
form,  not  unworthy  of  a  scientific  eye.  Monsieur  is 
no  ornithologist?  Ah,  no,  I  thought  not.  Well,  for 
me,  it  matters  little ;  my  time  is  long.  But  for  you 
and  mademoiselle,  who  are  both  Korong — !"  He 
paused  significantly. 

"What  happens,  then,  to  those  who  are  Korong?" 
Felix  asked,  with  a  lump  in  his  throat — not  for  himself, 
but  for  Muriel. 

The  Frenchman  looked  at  him  with  a  doubtful  look. 
"  Monsieur,"  he  said,  after  a  pause,  "  I  hardly  know 
how  to  break  the  truth  to  you  properly.  You  are  new 
to  the  island,  and  do  not  yet  understand  these  savages. 
J t  is  so  terrible  a  fate.  So  deadly.  So  certain.  Com- 
pose your  mind  to  hear  the  worst.  And  remember 
that  the  worst  is  very  terrible." 

Felix's  blood  froze  within  him ;  but  he  answered 
bravely  all  the  same,  "  I  think  I  have  guessed  it  myself 
already.  The  Korong  are  offered  as  human  sacrifices 
to  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

"  That  is  nearly  so,"  his  new  friend  replied,  with  a 
solemn  nod  of  his  head.  "Every  Korong  is  bound  to 
die  when  his  time  comes.  Your  time  will  depend  on 
the  particular  date  when  you  were  admitted  to  Heaven." 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  137 

Felix  reflected  a  moment.  "It  was  on  the  26th  of 
last  month,"  he  answered,  shortly. 

"Very  well,"  M.  Peyron  replied,  after  a  brief  cal- 
culation. "You  have  just  six  months  in  all  to  live 
from  that  date.  They  will  offer  you  up  by  Tu-Kila- 
Kila's  hut  the  day  the  sun  reaches  the  summer  sol- 
stice." 

"  But  why  did  they  make  us  gods  then  ?"  Felix  in- 
terposed, with  tremulous  lips.  "  Why  treat  us  with 
such  honors  meanwhile,  if  they  mean  in  the  end  to  kill 
us?" 

He  received  his  sentence  of  death  with  greater  calm- 
ness than  the  Frenchman  had  expected.  "Monsieur," 
the  older  arrival  answered,  with  a  reflective  air,  "  there 
comes  in  the  mystery.  If  we  could  solve  that,  we 
could  find  out  also  the  way  of  escape  for  you.  For 
there  is  a  way  of  escape  for  every  Korong :  I  know  it 
well ;  I  gather  it  from  all  the  natives  say ;  it  is  a  part 
of  their  mysteries ;  but  what  it  may  be,  I  have  hitherto, 
in  spite  of  all  my  efforts,  failed  to  discover.  All  I  do 
know  is  this :  Tu-Kila-Kila  hates  and  dreads  in  his 
heart  every  Korong  that  is  elevated  to  Heaven,  and 
would  do  anything,  if  he  dared,  to  get  rid  of  him  quiet- 
ly. But  he  doesn't  dare,  because  he  is  bound  hand  and 
foot  himself,  too,  by  taboos  innumerable.  Taboo  is 
the  real  god  and  king  of  Boupari.  All  the  island  alike 
bows  down  to  it  and  worships  it." 

"  Have  you  ever  known  Korongs  killed  ?"  Felix 
asked  once  more,  trembling. 

"  Yes,  monsieur.  Many  of  them,  alas !  And  this  is 
what  happens.  When  the  Korong's  time  is  come,  as 
these  creatures  say,  either  on  the  summer  or  winter  sol- 


[38  Tin-:  <.ki;at  tai;oo. 

stice,  he  is  bound  with  native  ropes,  and  carried  up  so 
pinioned  to  Tu-Kila-Kila's  temple,  in  the  time  be- 
fore this  man  was  Tu-Kila-Kila,  I  remember — " 

"Stop/*  Felix  cried.  "I  don't  understand.  Has 
there  then  been  more  than  one  Tu-Kiia-Kila  ?" 

"  Why,  yes,"  the  Frenchman  answered.  "Certainly, 
many.  And  there  the  mystery  comes  in  again.  We 
have  always  among  us  one  Tu-Kila-Kila  or  another. 
He  is  a  sort  of  pope,  or  grand  lama,  voyez  vous?  No 
sooner  is  the  last  god  dead  than  another  god  succeeds 
him  and  takes  his  name,  or  rather  his  title.  This 
young  man  who  now  holds  the  place  was  known  origi- 
nally as  Lavita,  the  son  of  Sami.  But  what  is  more 
curious  still,  the  islanders  always  treat  the  new  god  as 
if  he  were  precisely  the  self-same  person  as  the  old  one. 
So  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  understand  their  theology, 
they  believe  in  a  sort  of  transmigration  of  souls.  The 
soul  of  the  Tu-Kila-Kila  who  is  just  dead  passes  into 
and  animates  the  bod}'  of  the  Tu-Kila-Kila  who  suc- 
ceeds to  the  office.  Thus  they  speak  as  though  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  were  a  continuous  existence ;  and  the  god  of 
the  moment,  himself,  will  even  often  refer  to  events 
which  occurred  to  him,  as  he  says,  a  hundred  years  ago 
or  more,  but  which  he  really  knows,  of  course,  only  by 
the  persistent  tradition  of  the  islanders.  They  are  a 
curious  people,  these  Bouparese.  But  what  would  you 
have?  Among  savages,  one  expects  things  to  be  as 
among  savages." 

Felix  drew  a  quiet  sigh.  It  was  certain  that  on  the 
island  of  Boupari  that  expectation,  at  least,  was  never 
doomed  to  be  disappointed.  "  And  when  a  Korong  is 
takeu  to  Tu-Kila-Kila's  temple,"  he  asked,  continuing 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  139 

the  subject  of  most  immediate  interest,  "  what  happens 
next  to  him  ?" 

"  Monsieur,"  the  Frenchman  answered,  "I  hardly 
know  whether  I  do  right  or  not  to  say  the  truth  to 
you.  Each  Korong  is  a  god  for  one  season  only ;  when 
the  year  renews  itself,  as  the  savages  believe,  by  a 
change  of  season,  then  a  new  Korong  must  be  chosen  by 
Heaven  to  fill  the  place  of  the  old  ones  who  are  to  be 
sacrificed.  This  they  do  in  order  that  the  seasons  may 
be  ever  fresh  and  vigorous.  Especially  is  that  the 
case  with  the  two  meteorological  gods,  so  to  speak,  the 
King  of  the  Rain  and  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds.  Those, 
I  understand,  are  the  posts  in  their  pantheon  which  you 
and  the  lady  who  accompanies  you  occupy." 

"  You  are  right,"  Felix  answered,  with  profoundly 
painful  interest.  "  And  what,  then,  becomes  of  the 
king  and  queen  who  are  sacrificed  ?" 

"  I  will  tell  you,"  M.  Peyron  answered,  dropping  his 
voice  still  lower  into  a  sympathetic  key.  "But  steel 
your  mind  for  the  worst  beforehand.  It  is  sufficiently 
terrible.  On  the  day  of  your  arrival,  this,  I  learn 
from  my  Shadow,  is  just  what  happened.  That  night, 
Tu-Kila-Kila  made  his  great  feast,  and  offered  up  the 
two  chief  human  sacrifices  of  the  year,  the  free-will 
offering  and  the  scapegoat  of  trespass.  They  keep 
then  a  festival,  which  answers  to  our  own  New-Year's 
day  in  Europe.  Next  morning,  in  accordance  with  cus- 
tom, the  King  of  the  Rain  and  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds 
were  to  be  publicly  slain,  in  order  that  a  new  and  more 
vigorous  king  and  queen  should  be  chosen  in  their 
place,  who  might  make  the  crops  grow  better  and  the 
sky  more  clement.     In  the  midst  of  this  horrid  cere- 


140  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

mony,  you  and  mademoiselle,  by  pure  chance,  arrived. 
You  were  immediately  selected  by  Tu-Kila-Kila,  for 
some  reason  of  his  own,  which  I  do  not  sufficiently 
understand,  but  which  is,  nevertheless,  obvious  to  all 
the  initiated,  as  the  next  representatives  of  the  rain- 
giving  gods.  Yon  were  presented  to  Heaven  on  their 
little  platform  raised  above  the  ground,  and  Heaven 
accepted  you.  Then  you  were  envisaged  with  the  at- 
tributes of  divinity  ;  the  care  of  the  rain  and  the  clouds 
was  made  over  to  you ;  and  immediately  after,  as  soon 
as  you  were  gone,  the  old  king  and  queen  were  laid 
on  an  altar  near  Tu-Kila-Kila's  home,  and  slain  with 
tomahawks.  Their  flesh  was  next  hacked  from  their 
bodies  with  knives,  cooked,  and  eaten ;  their  bones 
were  thrown  into  the  sea,  the  mother  of  all  waters,  as 
the  natives  call  it.  And  that  is  the  fate,  I  fear  the  in- 
evitable fate,  that  will  befall  you  and  mademoiselle  at 
these  wretches'  hands  about  the  commencement  of  a 
fresh  season." 

Felix  knew  the  worst  now,  and  bent  his  head  in 
silence.  His  worst  fears  were  confirmed ;  but,  after 
all,  even  this  knowledge  was  better  than  so  much  un- 
certainty. 

And  now  that  he  knew  when  "his  time  was  up,"  as 
the  natives  phrased  it,  he  would  know  when  to  redeem 
his  promise  to  Muriel. 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  141 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  VERY    FAINT    CLUE. 

u  But  you  hinted  at  some  hope,  some  chance  of  es- 
cape," Felix  cried  at  last,  looking  up  from  the  ground 
and  mastering  his  emotion.  "  What  now  is  that  hope? 
Conceal  nothing  from  me." 

"Monsieur,"  the  Frenchman  answered,  shrugging 
his  shoulders  with  an  expression  of  utter  impotence, 
"  I  have  as  good  reasons  for  wishing  to  find  out  all 
that  as  even  you  can  have.  Your  secret  is  my  secret ; 
but  with  all  my  pains  and  astuteness  I  have  been  un- 
able to  discover  it.  The  natives  are  reticent,  very  ret- 
icent indeed,  about  all  these  matters.  They  fear  ta- 
boo ;  and  they  fear  Tu-Kila-Kila.  The  women,  to  be 
sure,  in  a  moment  of  expansion,  might  possibly  tell 
one;  but,  then,  the  women,  unfortunately,  are  not  ad- 
mitted to  the  mysteries.  They  know  no  more  of  all 
these  things  than  we  do.  The  most  I  have  been  able 
to  gather  for  certain  is  this — that  on  the  discovery  of 
the  secret  depend  Tu-Kila-Kila's  life  and  power.  Every 
Boupari  man  knows  this  Great  Taboo;  it  is  communi- 
cated to  him  in  the  assembly  of  adults  when  he  gets 
tattooed  and  reaches  manhood.  But  no  Boupari  man 
ever  communicates  it  to  strangers  ;  and  for  that  reason, 
perhaps,  as  I  believe,  Tu-Kila-Kila  often  chooses  for 
Korong,  as  far  as  possible,  those  persons  who  are  cast 
by  chance  upon  the  island.     It  has  always  been  the 


142  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

custom,  so  far  as  I  can  make  out,  to  treat  castaways  or 
prisoners  taken  in  war  as  gods,  and  then  at  the  end  of 
their  term  to  kill  them  ruthlessly.  This  plan  is  popu- 
lar with  the  people  at  large,  because  it  saves  themselves 
from  the  dangerous  honors  of  deification  ;  but  it  also 
serves  Tu-Kila-Kila's  purpose,  because  it  usually  ele- 
vates to  Heaven  those  innocent  persons  who  are  unac- 
quainted with  that  fatal  secret  which  is,  as  the  natives 
say,  Tu-Kila-Kila's  death — his  word  of  dismissal." 

"  Then  if  only  we  could  find  out  this  secret — "  Felix 
cried. 

His  new  friend  interrupted  him.  "  What  hope  is 
there  of  your  finding  it  out,  monsieur,"  he  exclaimed, 
"you,  who  have  only  a  few  months  to  live — when  I, 
who  have  spent  nine  long  years  of  exile  on  the  island, 
and  seen  two  Tn-Kila-Kilas  rise  and  fall,  have  been 
unable,  with  my  utmost  pains,  to  discover  it?  Tenez ; 
you  have  no  idea  yet  of  the  superstitions  of  these  peo- 
ple, or  the  difficulties  that  lie  in  the  way  of  fathoming 
them.  Come  this  way  to  rny  aviary ;  I  will  show  you 
something  that  will  help  you  to  realize  the  complexi- 
ties of  the  situation." 

He  rose  and  led  the  way  to  another  cleared  space  at 
the  back  of  the  hut,  where  several  birds  of  gaudy  plu- 
mage were  fastened  to  perches  on  sticks  by  leathery 
lashes  of  dried  shark's  skin,  tied  just  above  their  talons. 
"  I  am  the  King  of  the  Birds,  monsieur,  you  must  re- 
member," the  Frenchman  said,  fondling  one  of  his 
screaming  proteges.  "  These  are  a  few  of  my  subjects. 
But  I  do  not  keep  them  for  mere  curiosity.  Each  of 
them  is  the  Soul  of  the  tribe  to  which  it  belongs.  This, 
for  exam j )le — my  Clnseret — is  the  Soul  of  all  the  gray 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  143 

parrots ;  that  that  you  see  yonder — Badingnet,  I  call 
him — is  the  Soul  of  the  hawks  ;  this,  my  Mi  mi,  is  the 
Soul  of  the  little  yellow-crested  kingfisher.  My  task  as 
King  of  the  Birds  is  to  keep  a  representative  of  each 
of  these  always  on  hand  ;  in  which  endeavor  I  am 
faithfully  aided  by  the  whole  population  of  the  island, 
who  bring  me  eggs  and  nests  and  young  birds  in  abun- 
dance. If  the  Soul  of  the  little  yellow  kingfisher  now 
were  to  die,  without  a  successor  being  found  ready  at 
once  to  receive  and  embody  it,  then  the  whole  race  of 
little  yellow  kingfishers  would  vanish  altogether ;  and 
if  I  myself,  the  King  of  the  Birds,  who  am,  as  it  were, 
the  Soul  and  life  of  all  of  them,  were  to  die  without  a 
successor  being  at  hand  to  receive  my  spirit,  then  all 
the  race  of  birds,  with  one  accord,  would  become  ex- 
tinct forthwith  and  forever." 

He  moved  among  his  pets  easily,  like  a  king  among 
his  subjects.  Most  of  them  seemed  to  know  him  and 
love  his  presence.  Presently,  he  came  to  one  very  old 
parrot,  quite  different  from  any  Felix  had  ever  seen  on 
any  trees  in  the  island;  it  was  a  parrot  with  a  black 
crest  and  a  red  mark  on  its  throat,  half  blind  with  age, 
and  tottering  on  its  pedestal.  This  solemn  old  bird  sat 
apart  from  all  the  others,  nodding  its  head  oracularly 
in  the  sunlight,  and  blinking  now  and  again  with  its 
white  eyelids  in  a  curious  senile  fashion. 

The  Frenchman  turned  to  Felix  with  an  air  of  pro- 
found mystery.  "This  bird,"  he  said, solemnly,  stroking 
its  head  with  his  hand,  while  the  parrot  turned  round 
to  him  and  bit  at  his  finger  with  half-doddering  affec- 
tion— "  this  bird  is  the  oldest  of  all  my  birds — is  it  not 
so,  Methuselah? — and  illustrates  well  in  one  of  its  as- 


144  THE    GREAT    TABOO. 

pects  the  superstition  of  these  people.  Yes,  my  friend, 
you  are  tlje  last  of  a  kind  now  otherwise  extinct,  are 
you  not,  mon  vieux ?  No,  no,  there — gently!  Once 
upon  a  time,  the  natives  tell  me,  dozens  of  these  par- 
rots existed  in  the  island  ;  they  flocked  among  the  trees, 
and  were  held  very  sacred  ;  but  they  were  hard  to  catch 
and  difficult  to  keep,  and  the  Kings  of  the  Birds,  my 
predecessors,  failed  to  secure  an  heir  and  coadjutor  to 
this  one.  So  as  the  Soul  of  the  species,  which  you  see 
here  before  you,  grew  old  and  feeble,  the  whole  of  the 
race  to  which  it  belonged  grew  old  and  feeble  with  it. 
One  by  one  they  withered  awa}T  and  died,  till  at  last 
this  solitary  specimen  alone  remained  to  vouch  for  the 
former  existence  of  the  race  in  the  island.  Now,  the 
islanders  say,  nothing  but  the  Soul  itself  is  left;  and 
when  the  Soul  dies,  the  red-throated  parrots  will  be 
gone  forever.  One  of  my  predecessors  paid  with  his 
life  in  awful  tortures  for  his  remissness  in  not  provid- 
ing for  the  succession  to  the  soulship.  I  tell  you  these 
things  in  order  that  you  may  see  whether  they  cast  any 
light  for  you  upon  your  own  position  ;  and  also  be- 
cause the  oldest  and  wisest  natives  say  that  this  par- 
rot alone  among  beasts  or  birds  or  uninitiated  things 
knows  the  secret  on  which  depends  the  life  of  the  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  for  the  time  being." 

"  Can  the  parrot  speak?"  Felix  asked,  with  profound 
emotion. 

"  Monsieur,  he  can  speak,  and  he  speaks  frequently. 
But  not  one  word  of  all  he  says  is  comprehensible 
either  to  me  or  to  any  other  living  being.  His  tongue 
is  that  of  a  forgotten  nation.  The  islanders  under- 
stand him  no  more  than  I  do.     He  has  a  very  long 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  145 

sermon  or  poem,  which  he  knows  by  heart,  in  some 
unknown  language,  and  he  repeats  it  often  at  full 
length  from  time  to  time,  especially  when  he  has  eaten 
well  and  feels  full  and  happy.  The  oldest  natives  tell 
a  romantic  legend  about  this  strange  recitation  of  the 
good  Methuselah — I  call  him  Methuselah  because  of 
his  great  age — but  I  do  not  really  know  whether  their 
tale  is  true  or  purely  fanciful.  You  never  can  trust 
these  Polynesian  traditions !" 

"What  is  the  legend?"  Felix  asked  with  intense  in- 
terest. "In  an  island  where  we  find  ourselves  so  girt 
round  by  mystery  within  mystery  and  taboo  within 
taboo  as  this,  every  key  is  worth  trying.  It  is  well  for 
us  at  least  to  learn  everything  we  can  about  the  ideas 
of  the  natives.  Who  knows  what  clue  may  supply  us 
at  last  with  the  missing  link,  which  will  enable  us  to 
break  through  this  intolerable  servitude  ?" 

"  Well,  the  story  they  tell  is  this,"  the  Frenchman 
replied,  "though  I  have  gathered  it  only  a  hint  at  a 
time,  from  very  old  men,  who  declared  at  the  same 
moment  that  some  religious  fear — of  which  they  have 
many — prevented  them  from  telling  me  any  further 
about  it.  It  seems  that  a  long  time  ago — how  many 
years  ago  nobody  knows,  only  that  it  was  in  the  time 
of  the  thirty-ninth  Tu-Kila-Kila,  before  the  reign  of 
Lavita,  the  son  of  Sami — a  strange  Korong  was  cast 
up  upon  this  island  by  the  waves  of  the  sea,  much  as 
you  and  I  have  been  in  the  present  generation.  By 
accident,  says  the  story,  or  else,  as  others  aver,  through 
the  indiscretion  of  a  native  woman  who  fell  in  love 
with  him,  and  who  worried  the  taboo  out  of  her  hus- 
band, the  stranger  became  acquainted  with  the  secret 
10 


146  THE    GREAT    TABOO. 

of  Tu-Kila-Kila.  As  the  natives  themselves  put  it,  he 
learned  the  Death  of  the  High  God,  and  where  in  the 
world  his  Soul  was  hidden.  Thereupon,  in  some  mys- 
terious way  or  other,  he  became  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself, 
and  ruled  as  High  God  for  ten  years  or  more  here  on 
this  island.  Now  up  to  that  time,  the  legend  goes  on, 
none  but  the  men  of  the  island  knew  the  secret;  they 
learned  it  as  soon  as  they  were  initiated  in  the  great 
mysteries,  which  occur  before  a  boy  is  given  a  spear 
and  admitted  to  the  rank  of  complete  manhood.  But 
sometimes  a  woman  was  told  the  secret  wrongfully  by 
her  husband  or  her  lover ;  and  one  such  woman,  ap- 
parently, told  the  strange  Korong,  and  so  enabled  him 
to  become  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

"  But  where  does  the  parrot  come  in  V  Felix  asked, 
with  still  profounder  excitement  then  ever.  Some- 
thing within  him  seemed  to  tell  him  instinctively  he 
was  now  within  touch  of  the  special  key  that  must 
sooner  or  later  unlock  the  mystery. 

"  Well,"  the  Frenchman  went  on,  still  stroking  the 
parrot  affectionately  with  his  hand,  and  smoothing 
down  the  feathers  on  its  ruffled  back,  "  the  strange  Tu- 
Kila-Kila,  who  thus  ruled  in  the  island,  though  he 
learned  to  speak  Polynesian  well,  had  a  language  of 
his  own,  a  language  of  the  birds,  which  no  man  on 
earth  could  ever  talk  with  him.  So,  to  beguile  his  time 
and  to  have  some  one  who  could  converse  with  him  in 
his  native  dialect,  he  taught  this  parrot  to  speak  his 
own  tongue,  and  spent  most  of  his  days  in  talking  with 
it  and  fondling  it.  At  last,  after  he  had  instructed  it  by 
slow  degrees  how  to  repeat  this  long  sermon  or  poem 
— which   I  have  often  heard  it  recite  in  a  sing-song 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  147 

voice  from  beginning  to  end — his  time  came,  as  they 
say,  and  he  had  to  give  way  to  another  Tu-Kila-Kila; 
for  the  Bonparese  have  a  proverb  like  our  own  about 
the  king,  'The  High  God  is  dead;  may  the  High  God 
live  forever!'  But  before  he  gave  up  his  Soul  to  his 
successor,  and  was  eaten  or  buried,  whichever  is  the 
custom,  he  handed  over  his  pet  to  the  King  of  the 
Birds,  strictly  charging  all  future  bearers  of  that  divine 
office  to  care  for  the  parrot  as  they  would  care  for  a 
son  or  a  daughter.  And  so  the  natives  make  much  of 
the  parrot  to  the  present  day,  saying  he  is  greater  than 
any,  save  a  Korong  or  a  god,  for  he  is  the  Soul  of  a 
dead  race,  summing  it  up  in  himself,  and  he  knows  the 
secret  of  the  Death  of  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

"  But  you  can't  tell  me  what  language  he  speaks  ?" 
Felix  asked,  with  a  despairing  gesture.  It  was  terrible 
to  stand  thus  within  measurable  distance  of  the  secret 
which  might,  perhaps,  save  Muriel's  life,  and  yet  be 
perpetually  balked  by  wheel  within  wheel  of  more 
than  Egyptian  mystery. 

"  Who  can  say  ?"  the  Frenchman  answered,  shrug- 
ging his  shoulders  helplessly.  "It  isn't  Polynesian; 
that  I  know  well,  for  I  speak  Bouparese  now  like  a 
native  of  Boupari ;  and  it  isn't  the  only  other  language 
spoken  at  the  present  day  in  the  South  Seas — the  Me- 
lanesian  of  New  Caledonia — for  that  I  learned  well 
from  the  Kanakas  while  I  was  serving-  my  time  as  a 
convict  among  them.  All  we  can  say  for  certain  is 
that  it  majT,  perhaps,  be  some  very  ancient  tongue.  For 
parrots,  we  know,  are  immensely  long-lived.  Some  of 
them,  it  is  said,  exceed  their  century.  Is  it  not  so,  eh, 
my  friend  Methuselah?" 


148  THE    GREAT    TABOO. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

FACING    THE    WORST. 

Muriel  meanwhile  sat  alone  in  her  hut,  frightened 
at  Felix's  unexpected  disappearance  so  early  in  the 
morning,  and  anxiously  awaiting  her  lover's  return,  for 
she  made  no  pretences  now  to  herself  that  she  did  not 
really  love  Felix.  Though  the  two  might  never  re- 
turn to  Europe  to  be  husband  and  wife,  she  did  not 
doubt  that  before  the  eye  of  Heaven  they  were  already 
betrothed  to  one  another  as  truly  as  though  they  had 
plighted  their  troth  in  solemn  fashion.  Felix  had 
risked  his  life  for  her,  and  had  brought  all  this  misery 
upon  himself  in  the  attempt  to  save  her.  Felix  was 
now  all  the  world  that  was  left  her.  With  Felix,  she 
was  happy,  even  on  this  horrible  island ;  without  him, 
she  was  miserable  and  terrified,  no  matter  what  hap- 
pened. 

"  Mali,"  she  cried  to  her  faithful  attendant,  as  soon 
as  she  found  Felix  was  missing  from  his  tent,  "  what's 
become  of  Mr.  Thurstan  ?  Where  can  he  be  gone,  I 
wonder,  this  morning?" 

"You  no  fear,  Missy  Queenie,"  Mali  answered,  with 
the  childish  confidence  of  the  native  Polynesian. 
"Mistah  Thurstan,  him  gone  to  see  man-a-oui-oui,  the 
King  of  the  Birds.  Month  of  Birds  finish  last  night; 
man-a-oui-oui  no  taboo  any  longer.  King  of  the  Birds 
keep  very  old  parrot,  Boupari  folk  tell  me;  and  old 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  149 

parrot  very  wise,  know  how  to  make  Tu-Kila-Kila. 
Mistah  Thurstan,  him  gone  to  find  man-a-oui-oui. 
Parrot  tell  him  plenty  wise  thing.  Parrot  wiser  than 
Boupari  people  ;  know  very  good  medicine ;  wise  like 
Queensland  lady  and  gentleman.''  And  Mali  set  her- 
self vigorously  to  work  to  wash  the  wooden  platter  on 
which  she  served  up  her  mistress's  yam  for  breakfast. 

It  was  curious  to  Muriel  to  see  how  readily  Mali  had 
slipped  from  savagery  to  civilization  in  Queensland, 
and  how  easily  she  had  slipped  back  again  from  civili- 
zation to  savagery  in  Boupari.  In  waiting  on  her  mis- 
tress she  was  just  the  ordinary  trained  native  Austra- 
lian servant ;  in  every  other  respect  she  was  the  simple 
unadulterated  heathen  Polynesian.  She  recognized  in 
Muriel  a  white  lady  of  the  English  sort,  and  treated 
her  within  the  hut  as  white  ladies  were  invariably 
treated  in  Queensland  ;  but  she  considered  that  at  Bou- 
pari one  must  do  as  Boupari  does,  and  it  never  for  a 
moment  occurred  to  her  simple  mind  to  doubt  the  om- 
nipotence of  Tu-Kila-Kila  in  his  island  realm  any  more 
than  she  had  doubted  the  omnipotence  of  the  white 
man  and  his  local  religion  in  their  proper  place  (as  she 
thought  it)  in  Queensland. 

An  hour  or  two  passed  before  Felix  returned.  At 
last  he  arrived,  very  white  and  pale,  and  Muriel  saw  at 
once  by  the  mere  look  on  his  face  that  he  had  learned 
some  terrible  news  at  the  Frenchman's. 

"  Well,  you  found  him  Vy  she  cried,  taking  his  hand 
in  hers,  but  hardly  daring  to  ask  the  fatal  question  at 
once. 

And  Felix,  sitting  down,  as  pale  as  a  ghost,  answered 
faintly,  "  Yes,  Muriel,  I  found  him  !" 


10U  THE   GREAT  TABOO. 

"And  he  told  you  everything?" 

"  Everything  lie  knew,  my  poor  child.  Oh,  Muriel, 
Muriel,  don't  ask  me  what  it  is.  It's  too  terrible  to 
tell  you." 

Muriel  clasped  her  white  hands  together,  held  blood- 
less downwards,  and  looked  at  him  fixedly.  '"Mali, 
you  can  go,"  she  said.  And  the  Shadow,  rising  up 
with  childish  confidence,  glided  from  the  hut,  and  left 
them,  for  the  first  time  since  their  arrival  on  the  cen- 
tral island,  alone  together. 

Muriel  looked  at  him  once  more  with  the  same 
deadly  fixed  look.  "  With  you,  Felix,"  she  said  slowly, 
"I  can  bear  or  dare  anything.  I  feel  as  if  the  bitter- 
ness of  death  were  past  long  ago.  I  know  it  must 
come.  I  only  want  to  be  quite  sure  when.  .  .  .  And 
besides,  you  must  remember,  I  have  your  promise." 

Felix  clasped  his  own  hands  despondently  in  return, 
and  gazed  across  at  her  from  his  seat  a  few  feet  off  in 
unspeakable  misery. 

"  Muriel,"  he  cried,  "  I  couldn't.  I  haven't  the  heart. 
I  daren't." 

Muriel  rose  and  laid  her  hand  solemnly  on  his  arm. 
"  You  will !"  she  answered,  boldly.  "  You  can  !  You 
must !  I  know  I  can  trust  your  promise  for  that.  This 
moment,  if  you  like.  I  would  not  shrink.  But  you 
will  never  Jet  me  fall  alive  into  the  hands  of  those 
wretches.  Felix,  from  your  hand  I  could  stand  any- 
thing. I'm  not  afraid  to  die.  I  love  you  too 
dearly." 

Felix  held  her  white  little  wrist  in  his  grasp  and 
sobbed  like  a  child.  Her  very  bravery  and  confidence 
seemed  to  unman  him,  utterly. 


THE  GREAT   TABOO.  15J 

She  looked  at  him  once  more.    "  "When  ?"  she  asked, 
quietly,  but  with  lips  as  pale  as  death. 

"  In  about  four  months  from  now,"  Felix  answered, 
endeavoring  to  be  calm. 

"And  they  will  kill  us  both?" 

"  Yes,  both.     I  think  so." 

"Together?" 

"  Together." 

Muriel  drew  a  deep  sigh. 

"  Will  you  know  the  day  beforehand  ?"  she  asked. 

"  Yes.  The  Frenchman  told  me  it.  He  has  known 
others  killed  in  the  self-same  fashion." 

"  Then,  Felix — the  night  before  it  comes,  you  will 
promise  me,  will  you?" 

"  Muriel,  Muriel,  I  could  never  dare  to  kill  you." 

She  laid  her  hand  soothingly  on  his.  She  stroked 
him  gently.  "  You  are  a  man,"  she  said,  looking  up 
into  his  eyes  with  confidence.  "  I  trust  you.  I  be- 
lieve in  you.  I  know  you  will  never  let  these  savages 
hurt  me.  .  .  .  Felix,  in  spite  of  everything,  I've  been 
happier  since  we  came  to  this  island  together  than  ever 
I  have  been  in  my  life  before.  I've  had  my  wish.  I 
didn't  want  to  miss  in  life  the  one  thing  that  life  has 
best  worth  giving.  I  haven't  missed  it  now.  I  know 
I  haven't ;  for  I  love  you,  and  you  love  me.  After 
that,  I  can  die,  and  die  gladly.  If  I  die  with  you, 
that's  all  I  ask.  These  seven  or  eight  terrible  weeks 
have  made  me  feel  somehow  unnaturally  calm.  When 
I  came  here  first  I  lived  all  the  time  in  an  agony  of 
terror.  I've  got  over  the  agony  of  terror  now.  I'm 
quite  resigned  and  happy.  All  I  ask  is  to  be  saved — by 
you — from  the  cruel  hands  of  these  hateful  cannibals." 


152  THE    GREAT    TABOO.. 

Felix  raised  her  white  hand  just  once  to  his  lips.  It 
was  the  first  time  he  had  ever  ventured  to  kiss  her. 
He  kissed  it  fervently.  She  let  it  drop  as  if  dead  by 
her  side.  "  Now  tell  me  all  that  happened,"  she  said. 
"  I'm  strong  enough  to  bear  it.  I  feel  such  a  woman 
now — so  wise  and  calm.  These  few  weeks  have  made 
me  grow  from  a  girl  into  a  woman  all  at  once.  There's 
nothing  I  daren't  hear,  if  you'll  tell  me  it,  Felix." 

Felix  took  up  her  hand  again  and  held  it  in  his,  as 
he  narrated  the  whole  story  of  his  visit  to  the  French- 
man. When  Muriel  had  heard  it,  she  said  once  more, 
slowly,  "  I  don't  think  there's  any  hope  in  all  these 
wild  plans  of  playing  off  superstition  against  supersti- 
tion. To  my  mind  there  are  only  two  chances  left  for 
us  now.  One  is  to  concoct  with  the  Frenchman  some 
means  of  getting  away  by  canoe  from  the  island — I'd 
rather  trust  the  sea  than  the  tender  mercy  of  these 
dreadful  people ;  the  other  is  to  keep  a  closer  lookout 
than  ever  for  the  merest  chance  of  a  passing  steamer." 

Felix  drew  a  deep  sigh.  "  I'm  afraid  neither's  much 
use,"  he  said.  "  If  we  tried  to  get  away,  dogged  as 
we  are,  day  and  night,  by  our  Shadows,  the  natives 
would  follow  us  with  their  war-canoes  in  battle  array 
and  hack  us  to  pieces;  for  Peyron  says  that,  regarding 
us  as  gods,  they  think  the  rain  would  vanish  from  their 
island  forever  if  once  they  allowed  us  to  get  away 
alive  and  carry  the  luck  with  us.  And  as  to  the  steam- 
ers, we  haven't  seen  a  trace  of  one  since  we  left  the 
Australasian.  Probably  it  was  only  by  the  purest 
accident  that  even  she  ever  came  so  close  in  to  Bou- 
pari." 

"  At  any  rate,"  Muriel  cried,  still  clasping  his  hand 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  153 

tight,  and  letting  the  tears  now  trickle  slowly  down 
her  pale  white  cheeks,  "  we  can  talk  it  all  over  some 
day  with  M.  Peyron." 

"  We  can  talk  it  over  to-day,"  Felix  answered,  "  if 
it  comes  to  that ;  for  Peyron  means  to  step  round,  he 
says,  a  little  later  in  the  afternoon,  to  pay  his  respects 
to  the  first  white  lady  he  has  ever  seen  since  he  left 
New  Caledonia." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

TU-KILA-KILA  PLAYS  A  CARD. 

Before  the  Frenchman  could  carry  out  his  plan, 
however,  he  was  himself  the  recipient  of  the  high 
honor  of  a  visit  from  his  superior  god  and  chief,  Tu- 
Ivila-Kila. 

Every  day  and  all  day  long,  save  on  a  few  rare  oc- 
casions when  special  duties  absolved  him,  the  custom 
and  religion  of  the  islanders  prescribed  that  their  su- 
preme incarnate  deity  should  keep  watch  and  ward 
without  cessation  over  the  great  spreading  banyan-tree 
that  overshadowed  with  its  dark  boughs  his  temple- 
palace.  High  god  as  he  was  held  to  be,  and  all-power- 
ful within  the  limits  of  his  own  strict  taboos,  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  was  yet  as  rigidly  bound  within  those  iron  laws 
of  custom  and  religious  usage  as  the  meanest  and  poor- 
est of  his  subject  worshippers.  From  sunrise  to  sun- 
set, and  far  on  into  the  night,  the  Pillar  of  Heaven 
was  compelled  to  prowl  up  and  down,  with  spear  in 
hand,  and  tomahawk  at  side,  as  Felix  had  so  often  seen 


154  THE  GREAT   TABOO. 

him,  before  the  sacred  trunk,  of  which  he  appeared  to 
be  in  some  mysterious  way  the  appointed  guardian. 
Bis  very  power,  it  seemed,  was  intimately  bound  up 
with  the  performance  of  that  ceaseless  and  irksome 
duty ;  he  was  a  god  in  whose  hands  the  lives  of  his 
people  were  but  as  dust  in  the  balance ;  but  he  re- 
mained so  only  on  the  onerous  condition  of  pacing  to 
and  fro,  like  a  sentry,  forever  before  the  still  more  holy 
and  venerable  object  he  was  chosen  to  protect  from 
attack  or  injury.  Had  he  failed  in  his  task,  had  he 
slumbered  at  his  post,  all  god  though  he  might  be,  his 
people  themselves  would  have  risen  in  a  body  and  torn 
him  limb  from  limb  before  their  ancestral  fetich  as  a 
sacrilegious  pretender. 

At  certain  times  and  seasons,  however,  as  for  exam- 
ple at  all  high  feasts  and  festivals,  Tu-Kila-Kila  had 
respite  for  a  while  from  this  constant  treadmill  of  me- 
chanical divinity.  Whenever  the  moon  was  at  the 
half-quarter,  or  the  planets  were  in  lucky  conjunctions, 
or  a  red  glow  lit  up  the  sky  by  night,  or  the  sacred 
sacrificial  fires  of  human  flesh  were  lighted,  then  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  could  lay  aside  his  tomahawk  and  spear,  and 
become  for  a  while  as  the  islanders,  his  fellows,  were. 
At  other  times,  too,  when  he  went  out  in  state  to  visit 
the  lesser  deities  of  his  court,  the  King  of  Fire  and 
the  King  of  Water  made  a  solemn  taboo  before  he  left 
his  home,  which  protected  the  sacred  tree  from  ag- 
gression during  its  guardian's  absence.  Then  Tu-Kila- 
Kila,  shaded  by  his  divine  umbrella,  and  preceded  by 
the  noise  of  the  holy  tom-toms,  could  go  like  a  monarch 
over  all  parts  of  his  realm,  giving  such  orders  as  he 
pleased  (within  the  limits  of  custom)  to  his  inferior 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  155 

officers.  It  was  in  this  way  that  he  now  paid  his  visit 
to  M.  Jules  Peyron,  King  of  the  Birds.  And  he  did 
so  for  what  to  him  were  amply  sufficient  reasons. 

It  had  not  escaped  Tu-Kila-Kila's  keen  eye,  as  he 
paced  among  the  skeletons  in  his  yard  that  morning, 
that  Felix  Thurstan,  the  King  of  the  Rain,  had  taken 
his  way  openly  towards  the  Frenchman's  quarters. 
He  felt  pretty  sure,  therefore,  that  Felix  had  by  this 
time  learned  another  white  man  was  living  on  the  isl- 
and ;  and  he  thought  it  an  ominous  fact  that  the  new- 
comer should  make  his  way  towards  his  fellow-Euro- 
pean's hut  on  the  very  first  morning  when  the  law  of 
taboo  rendered  such  a  visit  possible.  The  savage  is 
always  by  nature  suspicious;  and  Tu-Kila-Kila  had 
grounds  enough  of  his  own  for  suspicion  in  this  par- 
ticular instance.  The  two  white  men  were  surely 
brewing  mischief  together  for  the  Lord  of  Heaven  and 
Earth,  the  Illuminer  of  the  Glowing  Light  of  the  Sun  ; 
he  must  make  haste  and  see  what  plan  they  were  con- 
cocting against  the  sacred  tree  and  the  person  of  its 
representative,  the  King  of  Plants  and  of  the  Host  of 
Heaven. 

But  it  isn't  so  easy  to  make  haste  when  all  your 
movements  are  impeded  and  hampered  by  endless 
taboos  and  a  minutely  annoying  ritual.  Before  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  could  get  himself  under  way,  sacred  um- 
brella, tom-toms,  and  all,  it  was  necessary  for  the  King 
of  Fire  and  the  King  of  Water  to  make  taboo  on  an 
elaborate  scale  with  their  respective  elements;  and  so 
by  the  time  the  hiarh  god  had  reached  M.  Jules  Pey- 
ron's  garden,  Felix  Thurstan  had  already  some  time 
since  returned  to  Muriel's  hut  and  his  own  quarters. 


156  THE    GREAT   TABOO. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  approached  the  King  of  the  Birds,  amid 
loud  clapping  of  hands,  with  considerable  haughtiness. 
To  say  the  truth,  there  was  no  love  lost  between  the 
cannibal  god  and  his  European  subordinate.  The  sav- 
age, puffed  up  as  he  was  in  his  own  conceit,  had  never- 
theless always  an  uncomfortable  sense  that,  in  his  heart 
of  hearts,  the  impassive  Frenchman  had  but  a  low 
opinion  of  him.  So  he  invariably  tried  to  make  up  by 
the  solemnity  of  his  manner  and  the  loudness  of  his 
assertions  for  any  trifling  scepticism  that  might  pos- 
sibly exist  in  the  mind  of  his  follower. 

On  this  particular  occasion,  as  he  reached  the  French- 
man's plot,  Tu-Kila-Kila  stepped  forward  across  the 
white  taboo-line  with  a  suspicious  and  peering  eye. 
"  The  King  of  the  Rain  has  been  here,"  he  said,  in  a 
pompous  tone,  as  the  Frenchman  rose  and  saluted  him 
ceremoniously.  "  Tu-Kila-Kila's  eyes  are  sharp.  They 
never  sleep.  The  sun  is  his  sight.  He  beholds  all 
things.  You  cannot  hide  aught  in  heaven  or  earth 
from  the  knowledge  of  him  that  dwells  in  heaven.  I 
look  down  upon  land  and  sea,  and  spy  out  all  that  takes 
place  or  is  planned  in  them.  I  am  very  holy  and  very 
cruel.  I  see  all  earth  and  I  drink  the  blood  of  all  men. 
The  King  of  the  Rain  has  come  this  morning  to  visit 
the  King  of  the  Birds.  Where  is  he  now  ?  What  has 
your  divinity  done  with  him  ?'' 

He  spoke  from  under  the  sheltering  cover  of  his 
veiled  umbrella.  The  Frenchman  looked  back  at  him 
with  as  little  love  as  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself  would  have 
displayed  had  his  face  been  visible.  "  Yes,  you  are  a 
very  great  god,"  he  answered, in  the  conventional  tone 
of  Polynesian  adulation,  with  just  a  faint  under-cur- 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  157 

rent  of  irony  running  through  his  accent  as  he  spoke. 
"  You  say  the  truth.  You  do,  indeed,  know  all  things. 
What  need  for  me,  then,  to  tell  you,  whose  eye  is  the 
sun,  that  my  brother,  the  King  of  the  Rain,  has  been 
here  and  gone  again  ?  Yon  know  it  yourself.  Your 
eye  has  looked  upon  it.  My  brother  was  indeed  with 
me.  He  consulted  me  as  to  the  showers  I  should  need 
from  his  clouds  for  the  birds,  my  subjects." 

"And  where  is  he  gone  now?"  Tu-Kila-Kila  asked, 
without  attempting  to  conceal  the  displeasure  in  his 
tone,  for  he  more  than  half  suspected  the  Frenchman 
of  a  sacrilegious  and  monstrous  design  of  chaffing  him. 

The  King  of  the  Birds  bowed  low  once  more.  "  Tu- 
Kila-Kila's  glance  is  keener  than  my  hawk's,"  he  an- 
swered, with  the  accustomed  Polynesian  imagery. 
"  He  sees  over  the  land  with  a  glance,  like  my  par- 
rots, and  over  the  sea  with  sharp  sight,  like  my  alba- 
trosses. He  knows  where  my  brother,  the  King  of  the 
Rain,  has  gone.  For  me,  who  am  the  least  among  all 
the  gods,  I  sit  here  on  my  perch  and  blink  like  a  crow. 
I  do  not  know  these  things.  They  are  too  high  and 
too  deep  for  me." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  did  not  like  the  turn  the  conversation 
was  taking.  Before  his  own  attendants  such  hints, 
indeed,  were  almost  dangerous.  Once  let  the  savage 
begin  to  doubt,  and  the  Moral  Order  goes  with  a  crash 
immediately.  Besides,  he  must  know  what  these  white 
men  had  been  talking  about.  "  Fire  and  Water,"  he 
said  in  a  loud  voice,  turning  round  to  his  two  chief 
satellites,  "go  far  down  the  path,  and  beat  the  tom- 
toms. Fence  off  with  flood  and  flame  the  airy  height 
where  the  King  of  the  Birds  lives;  fence  it  oil  from 


158  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

all  profane  intrusion.  I  wish  to  confer  in  secret  with 
this  god,  my  brother.  When  we  gods  talk  together, 
it  is  not  well  that  others  should  hear  our  converse. 
Make  a  great  Taboo.  I,  Tu-Kila-Kila,  myself  have 
said  it." 

Fire  and  Water,  bowing  low,  backed  down  the  path, 
beating  tom-toms  as  they  went,  and  left  the  savage  and 
the  Frenchman  alone  together. 

As  soon  as  they  were  gone,  Tu-Kila-Kila  laid  aside 
his  umbrella  with  a  positive  sigh  of  relief,,  Now  his 
fellow-countrymen  were  well  out  of  the  way,  his  man- 
ner altered  in  a  trice  as  if  by  magic.  Barbarian  as  he 
was,  he  was  quite  astute  enough  to  guess  that  Euro- 
peans cared  nothing  in  their  hearts  for  all  his  muinbo- 
jumbo.  He  believed  in  it  himself,  but  they  did  not, 
and  their  very  unbelief  made  him  respect  and  fear 
them. 

"Now  that  we  two  are  alone,"  he  said,  glancing 
carelessly  around  him,  "we  two  who  are  gods,  and 
know  the  world  well — we  two  who  see  everything  in 
heaven  or  earth — there  is  no  need  for  concealment — 
we  may  talk  as  plainly  as  we  will  with  one  another. 
Come,  tell  me  the  truth !  The  new  white  man  has 
seen  you  ?" 

"  He  has  seen  me,  yes,  certainly,"  the  Frenchman  ad- 
mitted, taking  a  keen  look  deep  into  the  savage's  cun- 
ning eyes. 

"  Does  he  speak  your  language — the  language  of 
birds?"  Tu-Kila-Kila  asked  once  more,  with  insinu- 
ating cunning  "  I  have  heard  that  the  sailing  gods 
are  of  many  languages.  Are  you  and  he  of  one  speech 
or  two  ?     Aliens,  or  countrymen  2" 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  159 

"He  speaks  my  language  as  he  speaks  Polynesian," 
the  Frenchman  replied,  keeping  his  eye  firmly  fixed 
on  his  doubtful  guest,  "  but  it  is  not  his  own.  He  has 
a  tongue  apart — the  tongue  of  an  island  not  far  from 
my  country,  which  we  call  England." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  drew  nearer,  and  dropped  his  voice  to 
a  confidential  whisper.  "Has  he  seen  the  Soul  of  all 
dead  parrots  ?"  he  asked,  with  keen  interest  in  his  voice. 
"  The  parrot  that  knows  Tu-Kila-Kila's  secret  ?  That 
one  over  there — the  old,  the  very  sacred  one?" 

M.  Peyron  gazed  round  his  aviary  carelessly.  "  Oh, 
that  one,"  he  answered,  with  a  casual  glance  at  Methu- 
selah, as  though  one  parrot  or  another  were  much  the 
same  to  him.  "Yes,  I  think  he  saw  it.  I  pointed  it 
out  to  him,  in  fact,  as  the  oldest  and  strangest  of  all 
my  subjects." 

Tu-Kila-Kila's  countenance  fell.  "Did  he  hear  it 
speak?"  he  asked,  in  evident  alarm.  "Did  it  tell  him 
the  story  of  Tu-Kila-Kila's  secret  ?" 

"No,  it  didn't  speak,"  the  Frenchman  answered. 
"  It  seldom  does  now.  It  is  very  old.  And  if  it  did, 
I  don't  suppose  the  King  of  the  Rain  would  have  under- 
stood one  word  of  it.  Look  here,  great  god,  allay  your 
fears.  You're  a  terrible  coward.  I  expect  the  real 
fact  about  the  parrot  is  this :  it  is  the  last  of  its  own 
race  ;  it  speaks  the  language  of  some  tribe  of  men  who 
once  inhabited  these  islands,  but  are  now  extinct.  No 
human  being  at  present  alive,  most  probably,  knows 
one  word  of  that  forgotten  language." 

"  You  think  not  ?"  Tu-Kila-Kila  asked,  a  little  re- 
lieved. 

"  I  am  the  King  of  the  Birds,  and  I  know  the  voices 


160  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

of  my  subjects  by  heart ;  I  assure  you  it  is  as  I 
say,"  M.  Peyron  answered,  drawing  himself  up  sol- 
emnly. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  looked  askance,  with  something  very 
closely  approaching  a  wink  in  his  left  eye.  "We  two 
are  both  gods,"  he  said,  with  a  tinge  of  irony  in  his 
tone.  "  We  know  what  that  means.  .  .  .  /  do  not  feel 
so  certain."  He  stood  close  by  the  parrot  with  itching 
fingers.  "It  is  very,  very  old,"  he  went  on  to  himself, 
musingly.  "  It  can't  live  long.  And  then — none  but 
Boupari  men  will  know  the  secret." 

As  he  spoke  he  darted  a  strange  glance  of  hatred 
towards  the  unconscious  bird,  the  innocent  repository, 
as  he  firmly  believed,  of  the  secret  that  doomed  him. 
The  Frenchman  had  turned  his  back  for  a  moment 
now,  to  fetch  out  a  stool.  Tu-Kila-Kila,  casting  a  quick, 
suspicious  eye  to  right  and  left,  took  a  step  nearer. 
The  parrot  sat  mumbling  on  its  perch,  inarticulately, 
putting  its  head  on  one  side,  and  blinking  its  half- 
blinded  eyes  in  the  bright  tropical  sunshine.  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  paused  irresolute  before  its  face  for  a  second. 
If  he  only  dared — one  wring  of  the  neck — one  pinch  of 
his  finger  and  thumb  almost! — and  all  would  be  over. 
But  he  dared  not !  he  dared  not !  Your  savage  is  over- 
awed by  the  blind  terrors  of  Taboo.  His  predecessor, 
some  elder  Tu-Kila-Kila  of  forgotten  days,  had  laid  a 
great  charm  upon  that  parrot's  life.  Whoever  hurt  it 
was  to  die  an  awful  death  of  unspeakable  torment. 
The  King  of  the  Birds  had  special  charge  to  guard  it. 
If  even  the  Cannibal  God  himself  wrought  it  harm, 
who  could  tell  what  judgment  might  fall  upon  him 
forthwith,  what  terrible  vengeance  the  dead  Tu-Kila- 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  101 

Kila  might  wreak  upon  him  in  his  ghostly  anger  ?  And 
that  dead  Tu-Kila-Kila  was  his  own  Soul !  His  own 
Soul  might  Hare  up  within  him  in  some  mystic  way 
and  burn  him  to  ashes. 

Alld  yet— suppose  this  hateful  new-comer,  the  King 
of  the  Rain,  whom  he  had  himself  made  Korong  on 
purpose  to  get  rid  of  him  the  more  easily,  and  so  had 
elevated  into  Ms  own  worst  potential  enemy-suppose 
this  new-comer,  the  King  of  the  Rain,  were  by  chance 
to  speak  that  other  dialect  of  the  bird-language  winch 
the  Kino-  of  the  Birds  himself  knew  not,  but  which  the 
parrot  had  learned  from  his  old  master,  the  ancient  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  of  other  days,  and  in  which  the  bird  still 
recited  the  secret  of  the  sacred  tree  and  the  Death  of 
the  Great  God-ah,  then  he  might  still  have  to  fight 
hard  for  his  divinity.     He  gazed  angrily  at  the  bird 
Methuselah  blinked,  and  put  his  head  on  one  side,  and 
looked  craftily  askance  at  him.    Tu-Kila-Kila  hated  it 
that  insolent  creature.     Was  he  not  a  god,  and  should 
he  be  thus  bearded  in  his  own  island  by  a  mere  Soul  of 
dead  birds,  a  poor,  wretched  parrot?     But  the  curse! 
What  might  not  that  portend?     Ah,  well,  he  would 
risk  it.     Glancing  around  him  once  more  to  the  right 
•tnd  left,  to  make  sure  that  nobody  was  looking,  the 
cunning  savage  put  forth  his  hand  stealthily,  and  tried 
with  a  friendly  caress  to  seize  the  parrot. 

In  a  moment,  before  he  had  time  to  know  what  was 
happening,  Methuselah-sleepy  old  dotard  as  he  seemed 
-had  woke  up  at  once  to  a  sense  of  danger.  Turning 
suddenly  round  upon  the  sleek  caressing  hand,  he 
darted  his  beak  with  a  vicious  peck  at  his  assailant,  and 
bit  the  divine  finger  of  the  Pillar  of  Heaven  as  care- 
11 


102  THE   GREAT   TAROO. 

lessly  as  he  would  have  bitten  any  child  on  Bonpari. 
Tu-Kila-Kila,  thunderstruck,  drew  back  his  arm  with  a 
start  of  surprise  and  a  loud  cry  of  pain.  The  bird  had 
wounded  him.  He  shook  his  hand  and  stamped. 
Blood  was  dropping  on  the  ground  from  the  man-god's 
finger.  He  hardly  knew  what  strange  evil  this  omen 
of  harm  might  portend  for  the  world.  The  Soul  of  all 
dead  parrots  had  carried  out  the  curse,  and  had  drawn 
red  drops  from  the  sacred  veins  of  Tu-Kila-Kila. 

One  must  be  a  savage  one's  self,  and  superstitious  at 
that,  fully  to  understand  the  awful  significance  of  this 
deadly  occurrence.  To  draw  blood  from  a  god,  and, 
above  all,  to  let  that  blood  fall  upon  the  dust  of  the 
ground,  is  the  very  worst  luck — too  awful  for  the  hu- 
man mind  to  contemplate. 

At  the  self-same  moment,  the  parrot,  awakened  by 
the  unexpected  attack,  threw  back  its  head  on  its  perch, 
and,  laughing  loud  and  long  to  itself  in  its  own  harsh 
way,  began  to  pour  forth  a  whole  volley  of  oaths  in  a 
guttural  language,  of  which  neither  Tu-Kila-Kila  nor 
the  Frenchman  understood  one  syllable.  And  at  the 
same  moment,  too,  M.  Peyron  himself,  recalled  from  the 
door  of  his  hut  by  Tu-Kila-Kila's  sharp  cry  of  pain  and 
by  his  liege  subject's  voluble  flow  of  loud  speech  and 
laughter,  ran  up  all  agog  to  know  what  was  the  matter. 

Tu-Kila-Kila,  with  an  effort,  tried  to  hide  in  his  robe 
his  wounded  finger.  But  the  Frenchman  caught  at  the 
meaning  of  the  whole  scene  at  once,  and  interposed 
himself  hastily  between  the  parrot  and  its  assailant. 
"He!  my  Methuselah,"  he  cried,  in  French,  stroking 
the  exultant  bird  with  his  hand,  and  smoothing  its  ruf- 
fled feathers, "  did  he  try  to  choke  you,  then  ?     Did  he 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  163 

try  to  get  over  you  ?  That  was  a  brave  bird !  You 
did  well,  mon  ami,  to  bite  him  !  .  .  .  No,  no,  Life  of  the 
World,  and  Measurer  of  the  Sun's  Course,"  he  went  on 
in  Polynesian,  "  you  shall  not  go  near  him.  Keep  your 
distance,  I  beg  of  you.  You  may  be  a  high  god — 
though  you  were  a  scurvy  wretch  enough,  don't  you 
recollect,  when  you  were  only  Lavita,  the  son  of  Sami 
— but  I  know  your  tricks.  Hands  off  from  my  birds, 
say  I.  A  curse  is  on  the  head  of  the  Soul  of  dead  par- 
rots. You  tried  to  hurt  him,  and  see  how  the  curse 
has  worked  itself  out !  The  blood  of  the  great  god, 
the  Pillar  of  Heaven,  has  stained  the  gray  dust  of  the 
island  of  Boupari." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  stood  sucking  his  finger,  and  looking 
the  very  picture  of  the  most  savage  sheepishness. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

DOMESTIC  BLISS. 


Tu-Kila-Kila  went  home  that  day  in  a  very  bad 
humor.  The  portent  of  the  bitten  finger  had  seriously 
disturbed  him.  For,  strange  as  it  sounds  to  us,  he 
really  believed  himself  in  his  own  divinity ;  and  the 
bare  thought  that  the  holy  soil  of  earth  should  be 
dabbled  and  wet  with  the  blood  of  a  god  gave  him  no 
little  uneasiness  in  his  own  mind  on  his  way  homeward. 
Besides,  what  would  his  people  think  of  it  if  the}'  found 
it  out?  At  all  hazards  almost,  he  must  strive  to  con- 
ceal this  episode  of  the  bite  from  the  men  of  Boupari. 
A  god  who  gets  wouuded,  and,  worse  still,  gets  wounded 


164  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

in  the  very  act  of  trying  to  break  a  great  taboo  laid  on 
by  himself  in  a  previous  incarnation — such  a  god  un- 
doubtedly lays  himself  open  to  the  gravest  misappre- 
hensions on  the  part  of  his  worshippers.  Indeed,  it 
was  not  even  certain  whether  his  people,  if  they  knew, 
would  any  longer  regard  him  as  a  god  at  all.  The  de- 
votion of  savages  is  profound,  but  it  is  far  from  per- 
sonal. When  deities  pass  so  readily  from  one  body  to 
another,  you  must  always  keep  a  sharp  lookout  lest  the 
great  spirit  should  at  any  minute  have  deserted  his 
earthly  tabernacle,  and  have  taken  up  his  abode  in  a 
fresh  representative.  Honor  the  gods  by  all  means ; 
but  make  sure  at  the  same  time  what  particular  house 
they  are  just  then  inhabiting. 

It  was  the  hour  of  siesta  in  Tu-Kila-Kila's  tent.  For 
a  short  space  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  during  the  heat 
of  the  sun,  while  Fire  and  Water,  with  their  embers 
and  their  calabash,  sat  on  guard  in  a  porch  by  the  bam- 
boo gate,  Tu-Kila-Kila,  Pillar  of  Heaven  and  Threshold 
of  Earth,  bad  respite  for  a  while  from  his  daily  task  of 
guarding  the  sacred  banyan,  and  could  take  his  ease 
after  his  meal  in  his  own  quarters.  While  that  pre- 
cious hour  of  taboo  lasted,  no  wandering  dragon  or  spirit 
of  the  air  could  hurt  the  holy  tree,  and  no  human  as- 
sailant dare  touch  or  approach  it.  Even  the  disease- 
making  gods,  who  walk  in  the  pestilence,  could  not 
blight  or  wither  it.  At  all  other  times  Tu-Kila-Kila 
mounted  guard  over  his  tree  with  a  jealousy  that  fairly 
astonished  Felix  Thurstan's  soul ;  for  Felix  Thurstan 
only  dimly  understood  as  yet  how  implicitly  Tu-Kila- 
Kila's  own  life  and  office  were  bound  up  with  the  in- 
violability of  the  banyan  he  protected. 


THE  GREAT  TABOO.  165 

Within  the  hut,  during  that  playtime  of  siesta,  while 
the  lizards  (who  are  also  gods)  ran  up  and  down  the 
wall,  and  puffed  their  orange  throats,  Tu-Kila-Kila 
lounged  at  his  ease  that  afternoon,  with  one  of  his 
many  wives — a  tall  and  beautiful  Polynesian  woman, 
lithe  and  supple,  as  is  the  wont  of  her  race,  and  as  ex- 
quisitely formed  in  every  limb  and  feature  as  a  sculp- 
tured Greek  goddess.  A  graceful  wreath  of  crimson 
hibiscus  adorned  her  shapely  head,  round  which  her 
long  and  glossy  black  hair  was  coiled  in  great  rings 
with  artistic  profusion.  A  festoon  of  blue  flowers  and 
dark-red  dracoena  leaves  hung  like  a  chaplet  over  her 
olive-brown  neck  and  swelling  bust.  One  breadth  of 
native  cloth  did  duty  for  an  apron  or  girdle  round  her 
waist  and  hips.  All  else  was  naked.  Her  plump 
brown  arms  were  set  off  by  the  green  and  crimson  of 
the  flowers  that  decked  her.  Tu-Kila-Kila  glanced  at 
his  slave  with  approving  eyes.  He  always  liked  Ula ; 
she  pleased  him  the  best  of  all  his  women.  And  she 
knew  his  ways,  too  :  she  never  contradicted  him. 

Among  savages,  guile  is  woman's  best  protection. 
The  wife  who  knows  when  to  give  way  with  hypo- 
critical obedience,  and  when  to  coax  or  wheedle  her 
yielding  lord,  runs  the  best  chance  in  the  end  for  her 
life.  Her  model  is  not  the  oak,  but  the  willow.  She 
must  be  able  to  watch  for  the  rising  signs  of  ill-humor 
in  her  masters  mind,  and  guard  against  them  carefully. 
If  she  is  wise,  she  keeps  out  of  her  husband's  way  when 
his  anger  is  aroused,  but  soothes  and  flatters  him  to  the 
top  of  his  bent  when  his  temper  is  just  slightly  or  mo- 
mentarily ruffled. 

"  The  Lord  of  Heaven  and  Earth  is  ill  at  ease,"  Ula 


166  'I'm:  GREAT  tajjoo. 

nnirmured  insinuatingly,  as  Tu-Kila-Kila  winced  once 
with  the  pain  of  his  swollen  finger.  "  What  has  hap- 
pened to-day  to  the  Increaser  of  Bread-fruit  ?  My  lord 
is  sad.  His  eye  is  downcast.  Who  has  crossed  my 
master's  will ''.     Who  has  dared  to  anger  him  ?" 

Tu-Kila-Kila  kept  the  wounded  hand  wrapped  up  in 
a  soft  leaf,  like  a  woolly  mullein.  All  the  way  home 
he  had  been  obliged  to  conceal  it,  and  disguise  the  pain 
he  felt,  lest  Fire  and  Water  should  discover  his  secret. 
For  he  dared  not  let  his  people  know  that  the  Soul  of 
all  dead  parrots  had  bitten  his  finger,  and  drawn  blood 
from  the  sacred  veins  of  the  man-god.  But  he  almost 
hesitated  now  whether  or  not  he  should  confide  in  Ula. 
A  god  may  surely  trust  his  own  wedded  wives.  And  yet 
— such  need  to  be  careful — women  are  so  treacherous ! 
He  suspected  Ula  sometimes  of  being  a  great  deal  too 
fond  of  that  young  man  Toko,  who  used  to  be  one  of 
the  temple  attendants,  and  whom  he  had  given  as  Shad- 
ow accordingly  to  the  King  of  the  Rain,  so  as  to  get 
rid  of  him  altogether  from  among  the  crowd  of  his  fol- 
lowers. So  he  kept  his  own  counsel  for  the  moment, 
and  disguised  his  misfortune.  "  I  have  been  to  see  the 
King  of  the  Birds  this  morning,"  he  said,  in  a  grum- 
bling voice ;  "  and  I  do  not  like  him.  That  God  is  too 
insolent.  For  my  part  I  hate  these  strangers,  one  and 
all.  They  have  no  respect  for  Tu-Kila-Kila  like  the 
men  of  Boupari.  They  are  as  bad  as  atheists.  They 
fear  not  the  gods,  and  the  customs  of  our  fathers  are 
not  in  them." 

Ula  crept  nearer,  with  one  lithe  round  arm  laid  ca- 
ressingly close  to  her  master's  neck.  "Then  why  do 
you  make  them  Korong?"  she  asked,  with  feminine 


THE   GREAT    TABOO.  167 

curiosity,  like  some  wife  who  seeks  to  worm  out  of  her 
husband  the  secret  of  freemasonry.  "  Why  do  you  not 
cook  them  and  eat  them  at  once,  as  soon  as  they  arrive  \ 
They  are  very  good  food — so  white  and  fine.  That 
last  new-comer,  now — the  Queen  of  the  Clouds — why 
not  eat  her  ?     She  is  plump  and  tender." 

"  I  like  her,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  responded,  in  a  gloating 
tone.  "  I  like  her  every  way.  I  would  have  brought 
her  here  to  my  temple  and  admitted  her  at  once  to  be 
one  of  Tu-Kila-Kila's  wives — only  that  Fire  and  Water 
would  not  have  permitted  me.  They  have  too  many 
taboos,  those  awkward  gods.  I  do  not  love  them.  But 
I  make  my  strangers  Korong  for  a  very  wise  reason. 
You  women  are  fools;  you  understand  nothing;  you 
do  not  know  the  mysteries.  These  things  are  a  great 
deal  too  high  and  too  deep  for  you.  You  could  not 
comprehend  them.  But  men  know  well  why.  They 
are  wise ;  they  have  been  initiated.  Much  more,  then, 
do  I,  who  am  the  very  high  god — who  eat  human  flesh 
and  drink  blood  like  water — who  cause  the  sun  to  shine 
and  the  fruits  to  grow  —  without  whom  the  day  in 
heaven  would  fade  and  die  out,  and  the  foundations  of 
the  earth  would  be  shaken  like  a  plantain  leaf." 

Ula  laid  her  soft  brown  hand  soothingly  on  the  great 
god's  arm  just  above  the  elbow.  "  Tell  me,"  she  said, 
leaning  forward  towards  him,  and  looking  deep  into 
his  eyes  with  those  great  speaking  gray  orbs  of  hers; 
"  tell  me,  O  Sustainer  of  the  Equipoise  of  Heaven ;  I 
know  you  are  great ;  I  know  you  are  mighty ;  I  know 
you  are  holy  and  wise  and  cruel ;  but  why  must  you 
let  these  sailing  gods  who  come  from  unknown  lands 
beyond  the  place  where  the  sun  rises  or  sets — why 


1G8  THE  GREAT  TABOO. 

must  you  let  tlicni  so  trouble  and  annoy  you?  Why 
do  you  not  at  once  eat  them  up  and  be  done  with  them  ? 
Is  not  their  flesh  sweet?  Is  not  their  blood  red  ?  Are 
they  not  a  dainty  well  lit  for  the  banquet  of  Tu-Kila- 
Kila?" 

The  savage  looked  at  her  for  a  moment  and  hesi- 
tated.  A  very  beautiful  woman  this  Ula,  certainly. 
Not  one  of  all  his  wives  had  larger  browm  limbs,  or 
whiter  teeth,  or  a  deeper  respect  for  his  divine  nature. 
He  had  almost  a  mind — it  was  only  Ula!  Why  not 
break  the  silence  enjoined  upon  gods  towards  women, 
and  explain  this  matter  to  her  ?  Not  the  great  secret 
itself,  of  course — the  secret  on  which  hung  the  Death 
and  Transmigration  of  Tu-Kila-Kila — oh,  no  ;  not  that 
one.  The  savage  was  far  too  cunning  in  his  genera- 
tion to  intrust  that  final  terrible  Taboo  to  the  ears  of 
a  woman.  But  the  reason  why  he  made  all  strangers 
Korong.  A  woman  might  surely  be  trusted  with  that 
— especially  Ula.  She  was  so  very  handsome.  And 
she  was  always  so  respectful  to  him. 

"  Well,  the  fact  of  it  is,"  he  answered,  laying  his 
hand  on  her  neck,  that  plump  brown  neck  of  hers, 
under  the  garland  of  dracoena  leaves,  and  stroking  it 
voluptuously,  "  the  sailing  gods  who  happen  upon  this 
island  from  time  to  time  are  made  Korong — but  hush  ! 
it  is  taboo."  He  gazed  around  the  hut  suspiciously. 
"  Are  all  the  others  away  ?"  he  asked,  in  a  frightened 
tone.  "  Fire  and  Water  would  denounce  me  to  all  my 
people  if  once  they  found  I  had  told  a  taboo  to  a  wom- 
an. And  as  for  you,  they  would  take  you,  because  you 
knew  it,  and  would  pull  your  flesh  from  your  bones 
with  hot  stone  pincers !" 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  109 

Ula  rose  and  looked  about  her  at  the  door  of  the  tent. 
She  nodded  thrice ;  then  she  glided  back,  serpentine, 
and  threw  herself  gracefully,  in  a  statuesque  pose,  on 
the  native  mat  beside  him.  "Here,  drink  some  more 
kava,"  she  cried,  holding  a  bowl  to  his  lips,  and  wheed- 
ling him  with  her  eyes.  "  Kava  is  good ;  it  is  tit  for 
gods.  It  makes  them  royally  drunk,  as  becomes  great 
deities.  The  spirits  of  our  ancestors  dwell  in  the  bowl ; 
when  you  drink  of  the  kava  they  mount  by  degrees 
into  your  heart  and  head.  They  inspire  brave  words. 
They  give  you  thoughts  of  heaven.  Drink,  my  master, 
drink.     The  Ruler  of  the  Sun  in  Heaven  is  thirsty." 

She  lay  propped  on  one  elbow,  with  her  face  close 
to  his;  and  offered  him,  with  one  brown,  irresistible 
hand,  the  intoxicating  liquor.  Tu-Kila-Kila  took  the 
bowl,  and  drank  a  second  time,  for  he  had  drunk  of  it 
once  with  his  dinner  already.  It  was  seldom  he  al- 
lowed himself  the  luxury  of  a  second  draught  of  that 
very  stupefying  native  intoxicant,  for  he  knew  too 
well  the  danger  of  insecurely  guarding  his  sacred  tree  ; 
but  on  this  particular  occasion,  as  on  so  many  others 
in  the  collective  life  of  humanity,  "the  woman  tempt- 
ed him,"  and  he  acted  as  she  told  him.  He  drank  it 
off  deep.  "  Ha,  ha !  that  is  good  !"  he  cried,  smacking 
his  lips.  "  That  is  a  drink  fit  for  a  god.  No  woman 
can  make  kava  like  you,  Ula."  He  toyed  with  her 
arms  and  neck  lazily  once  more.  "  You  are  the  queen 
of  my  wives,"  he  went  on,  in  a  dreamy  voice.  "  I  like 
you  so  well,  that,  plump  as  you  are,  I  really  believe, 
Ula,  1  could  never  make  up  my  mind  to  eat  you." 

"  My  lord  is  very  gracious,"  Ula  made  answer,  in  a 
soft,  low  tone,  pretending  to  caress  him.    And  for  some 


170  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

minutes  more  she  continued  to  make  much  of  him  in 
the  fulsome  strain  of  Polynesian  flattery. 

At  last  the  kava  had  clearly  got  into  Tu-Kila-Kila's 
head.  Then  Ula  bent  forward  once  more  and  again 
attacked  him.  "Now  I  know  you  will  tell  me,"  she 
said,  coaxingly,  "  why  you  make  them  Korong.  As 
long  as  I  live,  I  will  never  speak  or  hint  of  it  to  any- 
body anywhere.  And  if  I  do — why,  the  remedy  is 
near.     I  am  your  meat — take  me  and  eat  me." 

Even  cannibals  are  human  ;  and  at  the  touch  of  her 
soft  hand,  Tu-Kila-Kila  gave  way  slowly.  "I  made 
them  Korong,"  he  answered,  in  rather  thick  accents, 
"  because  it  is  less  dangerous  for  me  to  make  them  so 
thai  to  choose  for  the  post  from  among  our  own  isl- 
anders. Sooner  or  later,  my  day  must  come ;  but  I 
can  put  it  off  best  by  making  my  enemies  out  of  stran- 
gers who  arrive  upon  our  island,  and  not  out  of  those 
of  my  own  household.  All  Boupari  men  who  have 
been  initiated  know  the  terrible  secret — they  know 
where  lies  the  Death  of  Tu-Kila-Kila.  The  strangers 
who  come  to  us  from  the  sun  or  the  sea  do  not  know 
it ;  and  therefore  my  life  is  safest  with  them.  So  I 
make  them  Korong  whenever  I  can,  to  prolong  my 
own  days,  and  to  guard  my  secret." 

"  And  the  Death  of  Tu-Kila-Kila  ?"  the  woman  whis- 
pered, very  low,  still  soothing  his  arm  with  her  hand 
and  patting  his  cheek  softly  from  time  to  time  with  a 
gentle,  caressing  motion.  "  Tell  me  where  does  that 
live?  Who  holds  it  in  charge?  Where  is  Tu-Kila- 
Kila's  great  spirit  laid  by  in  safety?  I  know  it  is  in 
the  tree;  but  where  and  in  what  part  of  it?" 

Tu-Kila-Kila  drew  back  with  a  little  cry  of  surprise. 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  \1\ 

"  You  know  it  is  in  the  tree  !"  he  cried.  "  You  know 
my  soul  is  kept  there  !  Why,  Ula,  who  told  you  that  ? 
and  you  a  woman  !  Bad  medicine  indeed  !  Some  man 
has  been  blabbing  what  he  learned  in  the  mysteries. 
If  this  should  reach  the  ears  of  the  King  of  the  Rain — " 
he  paused  mysteriously. 

"What?  What?"  Ula  cried,  seizing  his  hand  in 
hers,  and  pressing  it  hard  to  her  bosom  in  her  anxiety 
and  eagerness.     "Tell  me  the  secret!     Tell  me!" 

With  a  sudden  sharp  howl  of  darting  pain,  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  withdrew  his  hand.  She  had  squeezed  the  linger 
the  parrot  had  bitten,  and  blood  began  once  more  to 
flow  from  it  freely. 

A  wild  impulse  of  revenge  came  over  the  savage. 
He  caught  her  by  the  neck  with  his  other  hand,  pressed 
her  throat  hard,  till  she  was  black  in  the  face,  kicked 
her  several  times  with  ferocious  rage,  and  then  flung 
her  away  from  him  to  the  other  side  of  the  hut  with  a 
fierce  and  untranslatable  native  imprecation. 

Ula,  shaken  and  hurt,  darted  away  towards  the  door, 
with  a  face  of  abject  terror.  For  every  reason  on 
earth  she  was  intensely  alarmed.  Were  it  merely  as  a 
matter  of  purely  earthly  fear,  she  had  ground  enough 
for  fright  in  having  so  roused  the  hasty  anger  of  that 
powerful  and  implacable  creature.  He  would  kill  her 
and  eat  her  with  far  less  compunction  than  an  English 
farmer  would  kill  and  eat  one  of  his  own  barnyard 
chickens.  But  besides  that,  it  terrified  her  not  a  little 
in  more  mysterious  ways  to  see  the  blood  of  a  god 
falling  upon  the  earth  so  freely.  She  knew  not  what 
^awful  results  to  herself  and  her  race  might  follow  from 
so  terrible  a  desecration. 


172  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

But,  to  her  utter  astonishment,  the  great  god  him- 
self, mad  with  rage  as  lie  was,  seemed  none  the  less 
almost  as  profoundly  frightened  and  surprised  as  she 
herself  was.  u  What  did  you  do  that  for?"  he  cried, 
now  sufficiently  recovered  for  thought  and  speech, 
wringing  his  hand  with  pain,  and  then  popping  his 
finger  hastily  into  his  mouth  to  ease  it.  "You  are  a 
clumsy  thing.  And  you  want  to  destroy  me,  too,  with 
your  foolish  clumsiness.', 

lie  looked  at  her  and  scowled.  He  was  very  angry. 
But  the  savage  woman  is  nothing  if  not  quick-witted 
and  politic.  In  a  flash  of  intuition,  Ula  saw  at  once 
he  was  more  frightened  than  hurt ;  he  was  afraid  of 
the  effect  of  this  strange  revelation  upon  his  own  repu- 
tation for  supreme  godship.  With  every  mark  and 
gesture  of  deprecatory  servility  the  woman  sidled  back 
to  his  side  like  a  whipped  dog.  For  a  second  she 
looked  down  on  the  floor  at  the  drops  of  blood  ;  then, 
without  one  word  of  warning  or  one  instant's  hesita- 
tion, she  bit  her  own  finger  hard  till  blood  flowed  from 
it  freely.  "  I  will  show  this  to  Fire  and  Water,"  she 
said,  holding  it  up  before  his  eyes,  all  red  and  bleed- 
ing. "  I  will  say  you  were  angry  with  me  and  bit  me 
for  a  punishment,  as  you  often  do.  They  will  never 
find  out  it  was  the  blood  of  a  god.  Have  no  fear  for 
their  eyes.     Let  me  look  at  your  finger." 

Tu-Kila-Kila,  half  appeased  by  her  clever  quickness, 
held  his  hand  out  sulkily,  like  a  disobedient  child.  Ula 
examined  it  close.  "A  bite,"  she  said,  shortly.  "A 
bite  from  a  bird  !  a  peck  from  a  parrot." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  jerked  out  a  surly  assent.  "  Yes,  the 
Soul  of  all  dead  parrots,"  he  answered,  with  an  angry 


THE  GREAT   TABOO.  173 

glare.     "It  bit  me  this  morning  at  the  King  of  the 
Birds'.     A  vicious  brute.     But  no  one  else  saw  it." 

Ula  put  the  finger  up  to  her  own  mouth,  and  sucked 
the  wound  gently.  Her  medicine  stanched  it.  Then 
she  took  a  thin  leaf  of  the  paper  mulberry,  soft,  cool, 
and  soothing,  and  bound  it  round  the  place  with  a  strip 
of  the  lace-like  inner  bark,  as  deftly  as  any  hospital 
nurse  in  London  would  have  done  it.  These  savage 
women  are  capital  hands  in  sickness.  Tu-Kila-Kila 
sat  and  sulked  meanwhile,  like  a  disappointed  child. 
When  Ula  had  finished,  she  nodded  her  head  and' 
glided  softly  away.  She  knew  her  chance  of  learning 
the  secret  was  gone  for  the  moment,  and  she  had  too 
much  of  the  guile  of  the  savage  woman  to  spoil  her 
chances  by  loitering  about  unnecessarily  while  her  lord 
was  in  his  present  ungracious  humor. 

As  she  stole  from  the  hut,  Tu-Kila-Kila,  looking 
ruefully  at  his  wounded  hand,  and  then  at  that  light 
and  supple  retreating  figure,  muttered  sulkily  to  him- 
self, with  a  very  bad  grace,  "  The  woman  knows  too 
much.  She  nearly  wormed  my  secret  out  of  me.  She 
knows  that  Tu-Kila-Kila's  life  and  soul  are  bound  up 
in  the  tree.  She  knows  that  I  bled,  and  that  the  par- 
rot bit  me.  If  she  blabs,  as  women  will  do,  mischief 
may  come  of  it.  I  am  a  great  god,  a  very  great  god — 
keen,  bloodthirsty,  cruel.  And  I  like  that  woman. 
But  it  would  be  wiser  and  safer,  perhaps,  after  all,  to 
forego  my  affection  and  to  make  a  great  feast  of  her." 

And  Ula,  looking  back  with  a  smile  and  a  nod,  and 
holding  up  her  own  bitten  and  bleeding  hand  with  a 
farewell  shake,  as  if  to  remind  her  divine  husband  of 
her  promise  to  show  it  to  Fire  and  Water,  murmured 


171  THE   GREAT  TABOO. 

low  to  herself  as  she  went,  "  He  is  :i  very  great  god  ; 
a  very  grout  god,  no  donbt;  but  I  hate  him,  I  hate 

him  !  lie  would  eat  me  to-morrow  if  I  didn't  coax 
him  and  wheedle  him  and  keep  him  in  a  good  temper. 
You  want  to  be  sharp,  indeed,  to  be  the  wife  of  a  god. 
I  got  off  to-day  with  the  skin  of  my  teeth.  He  might 
have  turned  and  killed  me.  If  only  I  could  find  out 
the  Great  Taboo,  I  would  tell  it  to  the  stranger,  the 
King  of  the  Rain  ;  and  then,  perhaps,  Tu-Kila-Kila 
would  die.  And  the  stranger  would  become  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  in  turn,  and  I  would  be  one  of  his  wives;  and 
Toko,  who  is  his  Shadow,  would  return  again  to  the 
service  of  Tu-Kila-Kila' s  temple." 

But  Fire,  as  she  passed,  was  saying  to  Water,  "  We 
arc  getting  tired  in  Boupari  of  Lavita,  the  son  of  Sami. 
If  the  luck  of  the  island  is  not  to  change,  it  is  high 
time,  I  think,  we  should  have  a  new  Tu-Kila-Kila." 


CHAPTER  XX. 

COUNCIL    OF    WAR. 

That  same  afternoon  Muriel  had  a  visitor.  M.  Jules 
Peyron,  formerly  of  the  College  de  France,  no  longer 
a  mere  Polynesian  god,  but  a  French  gentleman  of  the 
Boulevards  in  voice  and  manner,  came  to  pay  his  re- 
spects, as  in  duty  bound,  to  Mademoiselle  Ellis.  M. 
Peyron  had  performed  his  toilet  under  trying  circum- 
stances, to  the  best  of  his  ability.  The  remnants  of 
his  European  clothes,  much  patched  and  overhung  with 
squares  of  native  tappa  cloth,  were  hidden  as  much  as 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  Jfg 

possible  by  a  wide  feather  cloak,  very  savage  in  effect, 
but  more  seemly,  at  any  rate,  than  the  tattered  garments 
in  which  Felix  had  first  found  him  in  his  own  garden 
parterre.  M.  Peyron,  however,  was  fully  aware  of  the 
defects  of  his  costume,  and  profoundly  apologetic.  "  It 
is  with  ten  thousand  regrets,  mademoiselle,"  he  said, 
many  times  over,  bowing  low  and  simpering,  "  that 
I  venture  to  appear  in  a  lady's  salon — for,  after  all, 
wherever  a  European  lady  goes,  there  her  salon  follows 
her — in  such  a  tenue  as  that  in  which  I  am  now  com- 
pelled to  present  myself.  Mais  que  voules-vous?  JVous 
ne  sommes  pas  a  Paris  /"  For  to  M.  Peyron,  as  in- 
nocent in  his  way  as  Mali  herself,  the  whole  world 
divided  itself  into  Paris  and  the  Provinces. 

Nevertheless,  it  was  touching  to  both  the  new-comers 
to  see  the  Frenchman's  delight  at  meeting  once  more 
with  civilized  beings.  "  Figure  to  yourself,  made- 
moiselle," he  said,  with  true  French  effusion — "figure  to 
yourself  the  joy  and  surprise  with  which  I,  this  morn- 
ing, receive  monsieur,  your  friend,  at  my  humble  cot- 
tage !  For  the  first  time  after  nine  years  on  this  hate- 
ful island,  I  see  again  a  European  face ;  I  hear  again 
the  sound,  the  beautiful  sound,  of  that  charming  French 
language.  My  emotion,  believe  me,  was  too  profound 
for  words.  When  monsieur  was  gone,  I  retired  to  my 
hut,  I  sat  down  on  the  floor,  I  gave  myself  over  to 
tears,  tears  of  joy  and  gratitude,  to  think  I  should  once 
more  catch  a  glimpse  of  civilization!  This  afternoon, 
I  ask  myself,  can  I  venture  to  go  out  and  pay  my  re- 
spects, thus  attired,  in  these  rags,  to  a  European  lady  ? 
For  a  long  time  I  doubt,  I  wonder,  I  hesitate.  In  ray 
quality  of  Frenchman,  I  would  have  wished  to  call  in 


1  ;.,  THE  GREAT  TAKOO. 

civilized  costume  upon  ;i  civilized  household.  But 
what  would  you  have?     Necessity  knows  no  law.    I  am 

compelled  to  envelope  myself  in  my  savage  robe  of 
office  as  a  Polynesian  god — a  robe  of  office  which,  for 
the  rest,  is  not  without  an  interest  of  its  own  for  the 
scientific  ethnologist.  It  belongs  to  me  especial!}'  as 
King  of  the  Birds,  and  in  it,  in  effect,  is  represented  at 
least  one  feather  of  each  kind,  or  color  from  every  part 
of  the  body  of  every  species  of  bird  that  inhabits  Bou- 
pari.  I  thus  sum  up,  pour  ainsi  dire,  in  my  official 
costume  all  the  birds  of  the  island,  as  Tu-Kila-Kila,  the 
very  high  god,  sums  up,  in  his  quaint  and  curious  dress, 
the  land  and  the  sea,  the  trees  and  the  stones,  earth 
and  air,  and  fire  and  water." 

Familiarity  with  danger  begets  at  last  a  certain  cal- 
lous indifference.  Muriel  was  surprised  in  her  own 
mind  to  discover  how  easily  they  could  chat  with  M. 
Peyron  on  such  indifferent  subjects,  with  that  awful 
doom  of  an  approaching  death  hanging  over  them  so 
shortly.  But  the  fact  was,  terrors  of  every  kind  had 
so  encompassed  them  round  since  their  arrival  on  the 
island  that  the  mere  additional  certainty  of  a  date  and 
mode  of  execution  was  rather  a  relief  to  their  minds 
than  otherwise.  It  partook  of  the  nature  of  a  reprieve, 
not  of  a  sentence.  Besides,  this  meeting  with  another 
speaker  of  a  European  tongue  seemed  to  them  so  full 
of  promise  and  hope  that  they  almost  forgot  the  ter- 
rors of  their  threatened  end  in  their  discussion  of  pos- 
sible schemes  for  escape  to  freedom.  Even  M.  Peyron 
himself,  who  had  spent  nine  long  years  of  exile  in  the 
island,  felt  that  the  arrival  of  two  new  Europeans  gave 
him  some  hope  of  effecting  at  last  his  own  retreat  from 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  177 

this  unendurable  position.  His  talk  was  all  of  passing 
steamers.  If  the  Australasian  had  come  near  enough 
once  to  sight  the  island,  he  argued,  then  the  home- 
ward-bound vessel,  en  route  for  Honolulu,  must  have 
begun  to  take  a  new  course  considerably  to  the  east- 
ward of  the  old  navigable  channel.  If  this  were  so, 
their  obvious  plan  was  to  keep  a  watch,  day  and  night, 
for  another  passing  Australian  liner ;  and  whenever  one 
hove  in  sight,  to  steal  away  to  the  shore,  seize  a  stray 
canoe,  overpower,  if  possible,  their  Shadows,  or  give 
them  the  slip,  and  make  one  bold  stroke  for  freedom 
on  the  open  ocean. 

None  of  them  could  conceal  from  their  own  minds, 
to  be  sure,  the  extreme  difficulty  of  carrying  out  this 
programme.  In  the  first  place,  it  was  a  toss-up  wheth- 
er they  ever  sighted  another  steamer  at  all ;  for  during 
the  weeks  they  had  already  passed  on  the  island,  not  a 
sign  of  one  had  appeared  from  any  quarter.  Then, 
again,  even  supposing  a  steamer  ever  hove  in  sight, 
what  likelihood  that  they  could  make  out  for  her  in  an 
open  canoe  in  time  to  attract  attention  before  she  had 
passed  the  island?  Tu-Kila-Kila  would  never  will- 
ingly let  them  go ;  their  Shadows  would  watch  them 
with  unceasing  care ;  the  whole  body  of  natives  would 
combine  together  to  prevent  their  departure.  If  they 
ran  away  at  all,  they  must  run  for  their  lives ;  as  soon 
as  the  islanders  discovered  they  were  gone,  every  war- 
canoe  in  the  place  would  be  manned  at  once  with 
bloodthirsty  savages,  who  would  follow  on  their  track 
with  relentless  persistence. 

As  for  Muriel,  less  prepared  for  such  dangerous  ad- 
ventures than  the  two  men,  she  was  rather  inclined  to 
12 


178  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

attach  a  certain  romantic  importance  (as  a  girl  might 
do)  to  the  story  of  the  parrot  and  the  possible  disclos- 
ures which  it  could  make  if  it  could  only  communicate 
with  them.  The  mysterious  element  in  the  history  of 
that  unique  bird  attracted  her  fancy.  "  The  only  one 
of  its  race  now  left  alive,"  she  said,  with  slow  reflec- 
tiveness. "Like  Dolly  Pentreath,  the  last  old  woman 
who  could  speak  Cornish  !  I  wonder  how  long  parrots 
ever  live?  Do  you  know  at  all,  monsieur?  You  are 
the  King  of  the  Birds— you  ought  to  be  an  authority 
on  their  habits  and  manners." 

The  Frenchman  smiled  a  gallant  smile.  "Unhap- 
pily, mademoiselle,"  he  said,  "  though,  as  a  medical 
student,  I  took  up  to  a  certain  extent  biological  science 
in  general  at  the  College  de  France,  I  never  paid  any 
special  or  peculiar  attention  in  Paris  to  birds  in  par- 
ticular. But  it  is  the  universal  opinion  of  the  natives 
(if  that  counts  for  much)  that  parrots  live  to  a  very 
great  age  ;  and  this  one  old  parrot  of  mine,  whom  I  call 
Methuselah  on  account  of  his  advanced  years,  is  con- 
sidered by  them  all  to  be  a  perfect  patriarch.  In  ef- 
fect, when  the  oldest  men  now  living  on  the  island 
were  little  boys,  they  tell  me  that  Methuselah  was  al- 
ready a  venerable  and  much -venerated  parrot.  He 
must  certainly  have  outlived  all  the  rest  of  his  race  by 
at  least  the  best  part  of  three  quarters  of  a  century. 
For  the  islanders  themselves  not  infrequently  live,  by 
unanimous  consent,  to  be  over  a  hundred." 

"  I  remember  to  have  read  somewhere,"  Felix  said, 
turning  it  over  in  his  mind,  "that  when  Humboldt  was 
travelling  in  the  wilds  of  South  America  he  found  one 
very  old  parrot  in  an  Indian  village,  which,  the  Indians 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  179 

assured  him,  spoke  the  language  of  an  extinct  tribe,  in- 
comprehensible then  by  any  living  person.  If  I  rec- 
ollect aright,  Humboldt  believed  that  particular  bird 
must  have  lived  to  be  nearly  a  hundred  and  fifty." 

"That  is  so,  monsieur,'"  the  Frenchman  answered. 
"I  remember  the  case  well,  and  have  often  recalled  it. 
I  recollect  our  professor  mentioning  it  one  day  in  the 
course  of  his  lectures.  And  I  have  always  mentally 
coupled  that  parrt>t  of  Humboldt's  with  my  own  old 
friend  and  subject,  Methuselah.  However,  that  only 
impresses  upon  one  more  fully  the  folly  of  hoping  that 
we  can  learn  anything  worth  knowing  from  him.  I 
have  heard  him  recite  his  story  many  times  over,  though 
now  he  repeats  it  less  frequently  than  he  used  formerly 
to  do  ;  and  I  feel  convinced  it  is  couched  in  some  un- 
known and,  no  doubt,  forgotten  language.  It  is  a  much 
more  guttural  and  unpleasant  tongue  than  any  of  the 
soft  dialects  now  spoken  in  Polynesia.  It  belonged,  I 
am  convinced,  to  that  yet  earlier  and  more  savage  race 
which  the  Polynesians  must  have  displaced ;  and  as  such 
it  is  now,  I  feel  certain,  practically  irrecoverable." 

"  If  they  were  more  savage  than  the  Polynesians," 
Muriel  said,  with  a  profound  sigh,  "  I'm  sorry  for  any- 
body who  fell  into  their  clutches." 

"  But  what  would  not  many  philologists  at  home  in 
England  give,"  Felix  murmured,  philosophically,  "for 
a  transcript  of  the  words  that  parrot  can  speak — per- 
haps a  last  relic  of  the  very  earliest  and  most  primitive 
form  of  human  language !" 

At  the  very  moment  when  these  things  were  passing 
under  the  wattled  roof  of  Muriel's  hut,  it  happened 


180  TIIE   GREAT   TABOO. 

that  on  the  taboo-space  outside,  Toko,  the  Shadow, 
stood  talking  for  a  moment  with  Ula,  the  fourteenth 
wife  of  the  great  Tu-Kila-Kila. 

"  I  never  see  you  now,  Toko,"  the  beautiful  Poly- 
nesian said,  leaning  almost  across  the  white  line  of 
coral-sand  which  she  dared  not  transgress.  "Times  are 
dull  at  the  temple  since  you  came  to  be  Shadow  to  the 
white-faced  stranger." 

"  It  was  for  that  that  Tu-Kila-Kila  sent  me  here,"  the 
Shadow  answered,  with  profound  conviction.  "He  is 
jealous,  the  great  god.  He  is  bad.  He  is  cruel.  He 
wanted  to  get  rid  of  me.  So  he  sent  me  away  to  the 
King  of  the  Rain  that  I  might  not  see  you." 

Ula  pouted,  and  held  up  her  wounded  linger  before 
his  eyes  coquettishly.  "  See  what  he  did  to  me,"  she 
said,  with  a  mute  appeal  for  sympathy — though  in  that 
particular  matter  the  truth  was  not  in  her.  "  Your  god 
was  angry  with  me  to-day  because  I  hurt  his  hand,  and 
he  clutched  me  by  the  throat,  and  almost  choked  me. 
He  has  a  bad  heart.  See  how  he  bit  me  and  drew 
blood.  Some  of  these  days,  I  believe,  he  will  kill  me 
and  eat  me." 

The  Shadow  glanced  around  him  suspiciously  with 
an  uneasy  air.  Then  he  whispered  low,  in  a  voice  half 
grudge,  half  terror,  "  If  he  does,  he  is  a  great  god — he 
can  search  all  the  world — I  fear  him  much,  but  Toko's 
heart  is  warm.  Let  Tu-Kila-Kila  look  out  for  vengeance." 

The  woman  glanced  across  at  him  open-eyed,  with 
her  enticing  look.  "If  the  King  of  the  Rain,  who  is 
Korong,  knew  all  the  secret,"  she  murmured,  slowly, 
"he  would  soon  be  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself ;  and  you  and 
I  could  then  meet  together  freely." 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  1§1 

The  Shadow  started.  It  was  a  terrible  suggestion. 
"  You  mean  to  say — "  he  cried;  then  fear  overcame 
him,  and,  crouching  down  where  he  sat,  he  gazed  around 
him  terrified.  Who  could  say  that  the  wind  would 
not  report  his  words  to  Tu-Kila-Kila  ? 

Ula  laughed  at  his  fears.  "Pooh,"  she  answered, 
smiling.  "  You  are  a  man  ;  and  yet  you  are  afraid  of 
a  little  taboo.  I  am  a  woman ;  and  yet,  if  I  knew  the 
secret  as  you  do,  I  would  break  taboo  as  easily  as  I 
would  break  an  eggshell.  I  would  tell  the  white-faced 
stranger  all — if  only  it  would  bring  you  and  me  to- 
gether forever." 

"  It  is  a  great  risk,  a  very  great  risk,"  the  Shadow 
answered,  trembling.  "  Tu-Kila-Kila  is  a  mighty  god. 
He  may  be  listening  this  moment,  and  may  pinch  us 
to  death  by  his  spirits  for  our  words,  or  burn  us  to 
ashes  with  a  flash  of  his  anger." 

The  woman  smiled  an  incredulous  smile.  "  If  you 
had  lived  as  near  Tu-Kila-Kila  as  I  have,"  she  answered, 
boldly,  "you  would  think  as  little,  perhaps,  of  his  di- 
vinity as  I  do." 

For  even  in  Polynesia,  superstitious  as  it  is,  no  hero 
is  a  god  to  his  wives  or  his  valets. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

METHUSELAH    GIVES    SIGN. 


All  the  hopes  of  the  three  Europeans  were  concen- 
trated now  on  the  bare  off-chance  of  a  passing  steamer. 
M.  Peyron  in  particular  was  fully  convinced  that,  if  the 


182  THE  GREAT  TABOO. 

Australasian  had  found  the  inner  channel  practicable, 
other  ships  in  future  would  follow  her  example.  With 
this  ide;i  firmly  fixed  in  his  head,  lie  arranged  with 
Felix  that  one  or  other  of  thetn  should  keep  watch  al- 
ternately by  night  as  far  as  possible ;  and  he  also  un- 
dertook that  a  canoe  should  constantly  be  in  readiness 
to  carry  them  away  to  the  supposititious  ship,  if  occasion 
arose  for  it.  Muriel  took  counsel  with  Mali  on  the 
question  of  rousing  the  Frenchman,  if  a  steamer  ap- 
peared, and  the}r  were  the  first  to  sight  it ;  and  Mali, 
in  whom  renewed  intercourse  with  white  people  had 
restored  to  some  extent  the  civilized  Queensland  atti- 
tude of  mind,  readily  enough  promised  to  assist  in  their 
scheme,  provided  she  was  herself  taken  with  them,  and 
so  relieved  from  the  terrible  vengeance  which  would 
otherwise  overtake  her.  "  If  Boupari  man  catch  me," 
she  said,  in  her  simple,  graphic  Polynesian  way,  "  Bou- 
pari man  kill  me,  and  lay  me  in  leaves,  and  cook  me 
very  nice,  and  make  great  feast  of  me,  like  him  do  with 
Jani."  From  that  untimely  end  both  Felix  and  Muriel 
promised  faithfully,  as  far  as  in  them  lay,  to  protect 
her. 

To  communicate  with  M.  Peyron  by  daytime,  with- 
out arousing  the  ever-wakeful  suspicion  of  the  natives, 
Felix  hit  upon  an  excellent  plan.  He  burnished  his 
metal  match-box  to  the  very  highest  polish  it  was  ca- 
pable of  taking,  and  then  heliographed  by  means  of  sun- 
flashes  on  the  Morse  code.  He  had  learned  the  code 
in  Fiji  in  the  course  of  his  official  duties;  and  he 
taught  the  Frenchman  now  readily  enough  how  to  read 
and  reply  with  the  other  half  of  the  box,  torn  off  for 
the  purpose. 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  183 

It  was  three  or  four  days,  however,  before  the  two 
English  wanderers  ventured  to  return  M.  Peyron's 
visit.  They  didn't  wish  to  attract  too  greatly  the  at- 
tention of  the  islanders.  Gradually,  as  their  stay  on 
the  island  went  on,  they  learned  the  truth  that  Tu- 
Kila-Kila's  eyes,  as  he  himself  had  boasted,  were  liter- 
ally everywhere.  For  he  had  spies  of  his  own,  told  off 
in  every  direction,  who  dogged  the  steps  of  his  victims 
unseen.  Sometimes,  as  Felix  and  Muriel  walked  un- 
suspecting through  the  jungle  paths,  closely  followed 
by  their  Shadows,  a  stealthy  brown  figure,  crouched 
low  to  the  ground,  would  cross  the  road  for  a  moment 
behind  them,  and  disappear  again  noiselessly  into  the 
dense  mass  of  underbrush.  Then  Mali  or  Toko,  turn- 
ing round,  all  hushed,  with  a  terrified  look,  would  mur- 
mur low  to  themselves,  or  to  one  another,  "  There  goes 
one  of  the  Eyes  of  Tu-Kila-Kila !"  It  was  only  by 
slow  degrees  that  this  system  of  espionage  grew  clear 
to  the  strangers ;  but  as  soon  as  they  had  learned  its 
reality  and  ubiquity,  they  felt  at  once  how  undesirable 
it  would  be  for  them  to  excite  the  terrible  man-god's 
jealousy  and  suspicion  by  being  observed  too  often  in 
close  personal  intercourse  with  their  fellow-exile  and 
victim,  the  Frenchman.  It  was  this  that  made  them 
have  recourse  to  the  device  of  the  heliograph. 

So  three  or  four  days  passed  before  Muriel  dared  to 
approach  M.  Peyron's  cottage.  When  she  did  at  last 
go  there  with  Felix,  it  was  in  the  early  morning,  before 
the  fierce  tropical  sun,  that  beat  full  on  the  island,  had 
begun  to  exert  its  midday  force  and  power.  The  path 
that  led  there  lay  through  the  thick  and  tangled  mass 
of  brushwood  which  covered  the  greater  part  of  the 


1-  j  THE   GREAT  T  A 1500. 

island  with  its  dense  vegetation  ;  it  was  overhung  by 
huge  tree-ferns  and  broad-leaved  Southern  bushes,  and 

abutted  at  last  on  the  little  wind-swept  knoll  where  the 
King  of  the  Birds  had  his  appropriate  dwelling-place. 
The  Frenchman  received  them  with  studied  Parisian 
hospitality.  lie  had  decorated  his  arbor  with  fresh 
flowers  for  the  occasion,  and  bright  tropical  fruits,  with 
their  own  green  leaves,  did  duty  for  the  coffee  or  the 
absinthe  of  his  fatherland  on  his  home-made  rustic 
table.  Yet  in  spite  of  all  the  rudeness  of  the  physical 
surroundings,  they  felt  themselves  at  home  again  witli 
this  one  exiled  European;  the  faint  flavor  of  civiliza- 
tion pervaded  and  permeated  the  Frenchman's  hut, 
after  the  unmixed  savagery  to  which  they  had  now 
been  so  long  accustomed. 

Muriel's  curiosity,  however,  centred  most  about  the 
mysterious  old  parrot,  of  whose  strange  legend  so  much 
had  been  said  to  her.  After  they  had  sat  for  a  little 
under  the  shade  of  the  spreading  banyan,  to  cool  down 
from  their  walk — for  it  was  an  oppressive  morning — 
M.  Peyron  led  her  round  to  his  aviary  at  the  back  of 
the  hut,  and  introduced  her,  by  their  native  names,  to 
all  his  subjects.  "I  am  responsible  for  their  lives,"  he 
said,  gravely,  "for  their  welfare,  for  their  happiness. 
If  I  were  to  let  one  of  them  grow  old  without  a  suc- 
cessor in  the  field  to  follow  him  up  and  receive  his  soul 
— as  in  the  case  of  my  friend  Methuselah  here,  who 
was  so  neglected  by  my  predecessors — the  whole  species 
would  die  out  for  want  of  a  spirit,  and  my  own  life 
would  atone  for  that  of  my  people.  There  you  have 
the  central  principle  of  the  theology  of  Boupari. 
Every  race,  every  element,  every  power  of  nature,  is 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  185 

summed  up  for  them  in  some  particular  person  or 
tiling;  and  on  the  life  of  that  person  or  thing  depends, 
as  they  believe,  the  entire  health  of  the  species,  the 
sequence  of  events,  the  whole  order  and  succession  of 
natural  phenomena." 

Felix  approached  the  mysterious  and  venerable  bird 
with  somewhat  incautious  fingers.  "  It  looks  very  old,M 
he  said,  trying  to  stroke  its 'head  and  neck  with  a 
friendly  gesture.  "  You  do  well,  indeed,  in  calling  it 
Methuselah." 

As  he  spoke,  the  bird,  alarmed  at  the  vague  con- 
sciousness of  a  hand  and  voice  which  it  did  not  recog- 
nize, and  mindful  of  Tu-Kila-Kila's  recent  attack,  made 
a  vicious  peck  at  the  fingers  outstretched  to  caress  it. 
"  Take  care !"  the  Frenchman  cried,  in  a  warning  voice. 
"  The  patriarch's  temper  is  no  longer  what  it  was  sixty 
or  seventy  years  ago.  He  grows  old  and  peevish.  His 
humor  is  soured.  He  will  sing  no  longer  the  lively 
little  scraps  of  Offenbach  I  have  taught  him.  He  does 
nothing  but  sit  still  and  mumble  now  in  his  own  for- 
gotten language.  And  he's  dreadfully  cross — so  crabbed 
— mon  Dieu,  what  a  character !  Why,  the  other  day, 
as  I  told  you,  he  bit  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself,  the  high 
god  of  the  island,  with  a  good  hard  peck,  when  that 
savage  tried  to  touch  him ;  you'd  have  laughed  to  see 
his  godship  sent  off  bleeding  to  his  hut  with  a  wounded 
finger !  I  will  confess  I  was  by  no  means  sorry  at  the 
sight  myself.  I  do  not  love  that  god,  nor  he  me ;  and 
I  was  glad  when  Methuselah,  on  whom  he  is  afraid  to 
revenge  himself  openly,  gave  him  a  nice  smart  bite  for 
trying  to  interfere  with  him." 

"  He's  very  snappish,  to  be  sure,"  Felix  said,  with  a 


180  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

smile,  trying  once  more  to  push  forward  one  hand  to 
Btroke  the  bird  cautiously.  But  Methuselah  resented 
all  such  unauthorized  intrusions.  He  was  growing  too 
old  to  put  up  with  strangers.  He  made  a  second  vi- 
cious attempt  to  peck  at  the  hand  held  out  to  soothe 
him,  and  screamed,  as  he  did  so,  in  the  usual  discordant 
and  unpleasant  voice  of  an  angry  or  frightened  parrot. 

"  Why,  Felix,"  Muriel  put  in,  taking  him  by  the 
arm  with  a  girlish  gesture — for  even  the  terrors  by 
which  they  were  surrounded  hadn't  wholly  succeeded 
in  killing  out  the  woman  within  her — "  how  clumsy 
you  are  !  You  don't  understand  one  bit  how  to  man- 
age parrots.  I  had  a  parrot  of  my  own  at  my  aunt's 
in  Australia,  and  I  know  their  ways  and  all  about  them. 
Just  let  me  try  him."  She  held  out  her  soft  white 
hand  towards  the  sulky  bird  with  a  fearless,  caressing 
gesture.  "  Pretty  Poll,  pretty  Poll !"  she  said,  in  Eng- 
lish, in  the  conventional  tone  of  address  to  their  kind. 
"  Did  the  naughty  man  go  and  frighten  her  then  ? 
Was  she  afraid  of  his  hand?  Did  Polly  want  a  lump 
of  sugar  ?" 

On  a  sudden  the  bird  opened  its  eyes  quickly  with 
an  awakened  air,  and  looked  her  back  in  the  face,  half 
blindl}T,  half  quizzingly.  It  preened  its  wings  for  a 
second,  and  crooned  with  pleasure.  Then  it  put  for- 
ward its  neck,  with  its  head  on  one  side,  took  her 
dainty  finger  gently  between  its  beak  and  tongue,  bit 
it  for  pure  love  with  a  soft,  short  pressure,  and  at  once 
allowed  her  to  stroke  its  back  and  sides  with  a  very 
pleased  and  surprised  expression.  The  success  of  her 
skill  flattered  Muriel.  "  There !  it  knows  me!"  she 
cried,  with   childish  delight ;   "  it  understands  I'm  a 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  187 

friend  !  It  takes  to  me  at  once  !  Pretty  Poll !  Pretty 
Poll !    Come,  Poll,  come  and  kiss  me !" 

The  bird  drew  hack  at  the  words,  and  steadied  itself 
for  a  moment  knowingly  on  its  perch.  Then  it  held 
up  its  head,  gazed  around  it  with  a  vacant  air,  as  if  sud- 
denly awakened  from  a  very  long  sleep,  and,  opening 
its  mouth,  exclaimed  in  loud,  clear,  sharp,  and  distinct 
tones— and  in  English— "  Pretty  Poll!  Pretty  Poll! 
Polly  wants  a  buss !  Polly  wants  a  nice  sweet  bit  of 
apple !" 

For  a  moment  M.  Peyron  couldn't  imagine  what 
had  happened.  Felix  looked  at  Muriel.  Muriel  looked 
at  Felix.  The  Englishman  held  out  both  his  hands 
to  her  in  a  wild  fervor  of  surprise.  Muriel  took  them 
in  her  own,  and  looked  deep  into  his  eyes,  while  tears 
rose  suddenly  and  dropped  down  her  cheeks,  one  by 
one,  unchecked.  They  couldn't  say  why,  themselves ; 
they  didn't  know  wherefore ;  yet  this  unexpected  echo 
of  their  own  tongue,  in  the  mouth  of  that  strange  and 
mysterious  bird,  thrilled  through  them  instinctively 
with  a  strange,  unearthly  tremor.  In  some  dim  and 
unexplained  way,  they  felt  half  unconsciously  to  them- 
selves that  this  discovery  was,  perhaps,  the  first  clue 
to  the  solution  of  the  terrible  secret  whose  meshes  en- 
compassed them. 

M.  Peyron  looked  on  in  mute  astonishment.  He 
had  heard  the  bird  repeat  that  strange  jargon  so  often 
that  it  had  ceased  to  have  even  the  possibility  of  a 
meaning  for  him.  It  was  the  way  of  Methuselah — 
just  his  language  that  he  talked  ;  so  harsh  !  so  gut- 
tural !  "  Pretty  Poll !  Pretty  Poll !"  he  had  noticed 
the  bird  harp  upon  those  quaint  words  again  and  again. 


188  THE   GREAT    I  LBOO 

They  were  part,  no  doubt,  of  that  old  primitive  and 
forgotten  Pacific  language  the  creature  had  learned  in 
other  days  from  some  earlier  bearer  of  the  name  and 
ghastly  honors  of  Tu-Kila-Kila.  "Why  should  these 
English  seem  so  profoundly  moved  by  them? 

"  Mademoiselle  doesn't  surely  understand  the  bar- 
barous dialect  which  our  Methuselah  speaks  I"  he  ex- 
claimed in  surprise,  glancing  half  suspiciously  from 
one  to  the  other  of  these  incomprehensible  Britons. 
Like  most  other  Frenchmen,  he  had  been  brought  up 
in  total  ignorance  of  every  European  language  except 
his  own  ;  and  the  words  the  parrot  pronounced,  when 
delivered  with  the  well-known  additions  of  parrot 
harshness  and.  parrot  volubility,  seemed  to  him  so  in- 
expressibly barbaric  in  their  clicks  and  jerks  that  he 
hadn't  yet  arrived  at  the  faintest  inkling  of  the  truth 
as  he  observed  their  emotion. 

Felix  seized  his  new  friend's  hand  in  his  and  wrung 
it  warmly.  "  Don't  you  see  what  it  is?"  he  exclaimed, 
half  beside  himself  with  this  vague  hope  of  some  un- 
known solution.  "  Don't  you  realize  how  the  thing 
stands  ?  Don't  you  guess  the  truth  '.  This  isn't  a  Poly- 
nesian dialect  at  all.  It's  our  own  mother  tongue. 
The  bird  speaks  English  !" 

"  English  !"  M.  Peyron  replied,  with  incredulous 
scorn.  "What!  Methuselah  speak  English!  Oh,  no, 
monsieur,  impossible.  Vous  vous  tromjyez,  fen  suis 
sur.  I  can  never  believe  it.  Those  harsh,  inarticu- 
late sounds  to  belong  to  the  noble  language  of  Shaxper 
and  Newtowne  !  Ah,  monsieur,  incroyable!  vous  vous 
trompez  /  vous  vous  trompez  /" 

As  he  spoke,  the  bird  put  its  head  on  one  side  once- 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  189 

more,  and,  looking  out  of  its  half-blind  old  eyes  with  a 
crafty  glance  round  the  corner  at  Muriel,  observed 
again,  in  not  very  polite  English,  "  Pretty  Poll !  Pretty 
Poll !  Polly  wants  some  fruit.  Polly  wants  a  nut ! 
Polly  wants  to  go  to  bed !  .  .  .  God  save  the  king  ! 
To  hell  with  all  papists!" 

"  Monsieur,"  Felix  said,  a  certain  solemn  feeling  of 
surprise  coming  over  him  slowly  at  this  last  strange 
clause,  "  it  is  perfectly  true.  The  bird  speaks  Eng- 
lish. The  bird  that  knows  the  secret  of  which  we  are 
all  in  search — the  bird  that  can  tell  us  the  truth  about 
Tu-Kila-Kila — can  tell  us  in  the  tongue  which  made- 
moiselle and  I  speak  as  our  native  language.  And 
what  is  more — and  more  strange — I  gather  from  his 
tone  and  the  tenor  of  his  remarks,  he  was  taught,  long 
since — a  century  ago,  or  more — and  by  an  English 
sailor !" 

Muriel  held  out  a  bit  of  banana  on  a  sharp  stick  to 
the  bird.  Methuselah-Polly  took  it  gingerly  off  the 
end,  like  a  well-behaved  parrot !  "  God  save  the  king !" 
Muriel  said  in  a  quiet  voice,  trying  to  draw  him  on  to 
speak  a  little  further. 

Methuselah  twisted  his  eye  sideways,  first  this  way, 
then  that,  and  responded  in  a  very  clear  tone,  indeed, 
"God  save  the  king!  Confound  the  Duke  of  York! 
Long  live  Dr.  Oates  !    And  to  hell  with  all  papists !" 


190  THE    GREAT    TAUOO. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

TANTALIZING,  VERY. 

They  looked  at  one  another  again  with  a  wild  sur- 
mise. The  voice  was  as  the  voice  of  some  long  past 
age.  Could  the  parrot  be  speaking  to  them  iu  the 
words  of  seventeenth-century  English? 

Even  M.  Peyron,  who  at  first  had  received  the  strange 
discovery  with  incredulity,  woke  up  before  long  to  the 
importance  of  this  sudden  and  unexpected  revelation. 
The  Tu-Kila-Kila  who  had  taught  Methuselah  that 
long  poem  or  sermon,  which  native  tradition  regarded 
as  containing  the  central  secret  of  their  creed  or  its 
mysteries,  and  which  the  cruel  and  cunning  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  of  to-day  believed  to  be  of  immense  importance 
to  his  safety — that  Tu-Kila-Kila  of  other  days  was,  in 
all  probability,  no  other  than  an  English  sailor.  Cast 
on  these  shores,  perhaps,  as  they  themselves  had  been, 
by  the  mercy  of  the  waves,  he  had  managed  to  master 
the  language  and  religion  of  the  savages  among  whom 
he  found  himself  thrown  ;  he  had  risen  to  be  the  rep- 
resentative of  the  cannibal  god ;  and,  during  long 
months  or  years  of  tedious  exile,  he  had  beguiled  his 
leisure  by  imparting  to  the  unconscious  ears  of  a  bird 
t  the  weird  secret  of  his  success,  for  the  benefit  of  any 
others  of  his  own  race  who  might  be  similarly  treated 
by  fortune  in  future.  Strange  and  romantic  as  it  all 
sounded,  they  could  hardly  doubt  now  that  this  was 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  191 

the  real  explanation  of  the  bird's  command  of  English 
words.  One  problem  alone  remained  to  disturb  their 
souls.  Was  the  bird  really  in  possession  of  any  local 
secret  and  mystery  at  all,  or  was  this  the  whole  burden 
of  the  message  he  had  brought  down  across  the  vast 
abyss  of  time — "  God  save  the  king,  and  to  hell  with 
all  papists?" 

Felix  turned  to  M.  Peyron  in  a  perfect  tumult  of 
suspense.  "  What  he  recites  is  long?"  he  said,  inter- 
rogatively, with  profound  interest.  "  You  have  heard 
him  say  much  more  than  this  at  times  ?  The  words 
he  has  just  uttered  are  not  those  of  the  sermon  or  poem 
you  mentioned  ?" 

M.  Peyron  opened  his  hands  expansively  before  him. 
"  Oh,  mon  Dieu,  no,  monsieur,"  he  answered  with  ef- 
fusion. "  You  should  hear  him  recite  it.  He's  never 
done.  It  is  whole  chapters — whole  chapters ;  a  per- 
fect Henriade  in  parrot-talk.  When  once  he  begins, 
there's  no  possibility  of  checking  or  stopping  him.  On, 
on  he  goes.  Farewell  to  the  rest ;  he  insists  upon  pour- 
ing it  all  forth  to  the  very  last  sentence.  Gabble,  gab- 
ble, gabble  ;  chatter,  chatter,  chatter ;  pouf,  pouf,  pouf ; 
bourn,  bourn,  bourn  ;  he  runs  ahead  eternally  in  one 
long  discordant  sing-song  monotone.  The  person  who 
taught  him  must  have  taken  entire  months  to  teach 
him,  a  phrase  at  a  time,  paragraph  by  paragraph.  It 
is  wonderful  a  bird's  memory  could  hold  so  much. 
But  till  now,  taking  it  for  granted  he  spoke  only  some 
wild  South  Pacific  dialect,  I  never  paid  much  attention 
to  Methuselah's  vagaries." 

"  Hush.  He's  going  to  speak,"  Muriel  cried,  hold- 
ing up,  in  alarm,  one  warning  finger. 


192  THE    r'REAT    TABOO. 

And  the  bird,  his  tongue  strings  evidently  loosened 
by  the  strange  recurrence  after  so  many  years  of  those 
familiar  English  sounds,  "  Pretty  Poll !  Pretty  Poll !" 
opened  his  month  again  in  a  loud  chuckle  of  delight, 
and  cried,  with  persistent,  shrillness,  "  God  save  the 
king  !    A  fig  for  all  arrant  knaves  and  roundheads!" 

A  creepier  feeling  than  ever  came  over  the  two  Eng- 
lish listeners  at  those  astounding  words.  "  Great  heav- 
ens !"  Felix  exclaimed  to  the  unsuspecting  French- 
man, "he  speaks  in  the  style  of  the  Stuarts  and  the 
Commonwealth !" 

The  Frenchman  started.  "  Epoque  Louis  Quatorze /" 
he  murmured,  translating  the  date  mentally  into  his 
own  more  familiar  chronology.  "  Two  centuries  since ! 
Oh,  incredible !  incredible  !  Methuselah  is  old,  but 
not  quite  so  much  of  a  patriarch  as  that.  Even  Hum- 
boldt's parrot  could  hardly  have  lived  for  two  hundred 
years  in  the  wilds  of  South  America." 

Felix  regarded  the  venerable  creature  with  a  look 
of  almost  superstitions  awe.  "  Facts  are  facts,"  he 
answered  shortly,  shutting  his  month  with  a  little  snap. 
"  Unless  this  bird  has  been  deliberately  taught  histori- 
cal details  in  an  archaic  diction — and  a  shipwrecked 
sailor  is  hardly  likely  to  be  antiquarian  enough  to  con- 
ceive such  an  idea — he  is  undoubtedly  a  survival  from 
the  days  of  the  Commonwealth  or  the  Restoration.  And 
you  say  he  runs  on  with  his  tale  for  an  hour  at  a  time ! 
Good  heavens, what  a  thought!  I  wish  we  could  man- 
age to  start  him  now.     Does  he  begin  it  often  ?" 

"  Monsieur,"  the  Frenchman  answered,  "  when  I 
came  here  first,  though  Methuselah  was  already  very 
old  and  feeble,  he  was  not  quite  a  dotard,  and  he  used 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  193 

to  recite  it  all  every  morning  regularly.  That  was  the 
hour,  I  suppose,  at  which  the  master,  who  first  taught 
him  this  lengthy  recitation,  used  originally  to  impress 
it  upon  him.  In  those  days  his  sight  and  his  memory 
were  far  more  clear  than  now.  But  by  degrees,  since 
my  arrival,  he  has  grown  dull  and  stupid.  The  natives 
tell  me  that  fifty  years  ago,  while  he  was  already  old, 
he  was  still  bright  and  lively,  and  would  recite  the 
whole  poem  whenever  anybody  presented  him  with 
his  greatest  dainty,  the  claw  of  a  moora-crab.  Nowa- 
days, however,  when  he  can  hardly  eat,  and  hardly 
mumble,  he  is  much  less  persistent  and  less  coherent 
than  formerly.  To  say  the  truth,  I  have  discouraged 
him  in  his  efforts,  because  his  pertinacity  annoyed  me. 
So  now  he  seldom  gets  through  all  his  lesson  at  one 
bout,  as  he  used  to  do  at  the  beginning.  The  best 
way  to  get  him  on  is  for  me  to  sing  him  one  of  my 
French  songs.  That  seems  to  excite  him,  or  to  rouse 
him  to  rivalry.  Then  he  will  put  his  head  on  one  side, 
listen  critically  for  a  while,  smile  a  superior  smile,  and 
finally  begin — jabber,  jabber,  jabber — trying  to  talk 
me  down,  as  if  I  were  a  brother  parrot." 

"  Oh,  do  sing  now  !"  Muriel  cried,  with  intense  per- 
suasion in  her  voice.  "  I  do  so  want  to  hear  it."  She 
meant,  of  course,  the  parrot's  story. 

But  the  Frenchman  bowed,  and  laid  his  hand  on  his 
heart.  "  Ah,  mademoiselle,"  he  said,  "  your  wish  is  al- 
most a  royal  command.  And  yet,  do  you  know,  it  is 
so  long  since  I  have  sung,  except  to  please  myself — 
my  music  is  so  rusty,  old  pieces  you  have  heard — I 
have  no  accompaninent,  no  score — mais  enfin,  we  are  all 
so  far  from  Paris  !" 
13 


194  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

Muriel  didn't  dare  to  undeceive  him  as  to  her  mean- 
ing, lest  he  should  refuse  to  sing  in  real  earnest,  and 
the  chance  of  learning  the  parrot's  secret  might  slip 
1)\  them  irretrievably.  "  Oh,  monsieur,"  she  cried, 
fitting  herself  to  his  humor  at  once,  and  speaking  as 
ceremoniously  as  if  she  were  assisting  at  a  musical 
party  in  the  Avenue  Victor  Hugo,  "don't  decline,  I 
beg  of  you,  on  those  accounts.  "We  are  both  most 
anxious  to  hear  your  song.  Don't  disappoint  us,  pray. 
Please  begin  immediately." 

"  Ah,  mademoiselle,"  the  Frenchman  said,  "  who 
could  resist  such  an  appeal  ?  You  are  altogether  too 
flattering."  And  then,  in  the  same  cheery  voice  that 
Felix  had  heard  on  the  first  day  he  visited  the  King 
of  Birds'  hut,  M.  Peyron  began  in  very  decent  style 
to  pour   forth   the   merry   sounds    of    his    rollicking 

SOng  :  "Quand  on  conspi-re, 

Quand  sans  frayeur 
On  peut  se  di-re 

Conspirateur — 
Pour  tout  le  mon-de 

II  faut  avoir 
Perruque  blon-de, 

Et  collet  noir." 

He  had  hardly  got  as  far  as  the  end  of  the  first 
stanza,  however,  when  Methuselah,  listening,  with  his 
ear  cocked  up  most  knowingly,  to  the  Frenchman's 
song,  raised  his  head  in  opposition,  and,  sitting  bolt 
upright  on  his  perch,  began  to  scream  forth  a  voluble 
stream  of  words  in  one  unbroken  flood,  so  fast  that  Muriel 
could  hardly  follow  them.  The  bird  spoke  in  a  thick 
and  very  harsh  voice,  and,  what  was  more  remarkable 
still,  with  a  distinct  and  extremely  peculiar  North  Coun- 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  195 

try  accent.  "  In  the  nineteenth  )'ear  of  the  reign  of 
his  most  gracious  majesty,  King  Charles  the  Second," 
he  blurted  out,  viciously,  with  an  angry  look  at  the 
Frenchman,  "  I,  Nathaniel  Cross,  of  the  borough  of 
Sunderland,  in  the  county  of  Doorham,  in  England,  an 
able-bodied  mariner,  then  sailing  the  South  Seas  in  the 
good  bark  Martyr  Prince,  of  the  Port  of  Great  Grims- 
by, whereof  one  Thomas  Wells,  gent.,  under  God,  was 
master — " 

"  Oh,  hush,  hush  !"  Muriel  cried,  unable  to  catch  the 
parrot's  precious  words  through  the  emulous  echo  of 
the  Frenchman's  music.  "  Whereof  one  Thomas  Wells, 
gent.,  under  God,  was  master — go  on,  Polly." 

"  Pevruque  blonde 
Et  collet  noir," 

the  Frenchman  repeated,  with  a  half-offended  voice, 
finishing  his  stanza. 

But  just  as  he  stopped,  Methuselah  stopped  too,  and, 
throwing  back  his  head  in  the  air  with  a  triumphant 
look,  stared  hard  at  his  vanquished  and  silenced  oppo- 
nent out  of  those  blinking  gray  eyes  of  his.  "  I  thought 
I'd  be  too  much  for  you !"  he  seemed  to  say,  wrathfull v. 

"  Whereof  one  Thomas  Wells,  gent.,  under  God, 
was  master,"  Muriel  suggested  again,  all  agog  with  ex- 
citement.    "  Go  on,  good  bird  !    Go  on,  pretty  Polly." 

But  Methuselah  was  evidently  put  off  the  scent  now 
by  the  unseasonable  interruption.  Instead  of  continu- 
ing, he  threw  back  his  head  a  second  time  with  a  tri- 
umphant air  and  laughed  aloud  boisterously.  "Pretty 
Polly,"  he  cried.  "Pretty  Polly  wants  a  nut,  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  maroo  !     Pretty  Poll !     Pretty  Polly  !" 


196  TIIE  GREAT   TABOO. 

"SiDg  again,  for  Heaven's  sake!"  Felix  exclaimed, 
in  a  profoundly  agitated  mood,  explaining  briefly  to 
the  Frenchman  the  full  significance  of  the  words  Me- 
thuselah had  just  begun  to  utter. 

The  Frenchman  struck  up  his  tune  afresh  to  give 
the  bird  a  start ;  but  all  to  no  avail.  Methuselah  was 
evidently  in  no  humor  for  talking  just  then.  He  lis- 
tened with  a  callous,  uncritical  air,  bringing  his  white 
eyelids  down  slowly  and  sleepily  over  his  bleared  gray 
eyes.  Then  he  nodded  his  head  slowly.  "  No  use," 
the  Frenchman  murmured,  pursing  his  lips  up  gravely. 
"  The  bird  won't  talk.  It's  going  off  to  sleep  now. 
Methuselah  gets  visibly  older  every  day,  monsieur  and 
mademoiselle.  You  are  only  just  in  time  to  catch  his 
last  accents." 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

A   MESSAGE   FROM   THE    DEAD. 


Early  next  morning,  as  Felix  lay  still  in  his  hut, 
dozing,  and  just  vaguely  conscious  of  a  buzz  of  a  mos- 
quito close  to  his  ear,  he  was  aroused  by  a  sudden  loud 
cry  outside — a  cry  that  called  his  native  name  three 
times,  running:  "O  King  of  the  Rain,  King  of  the 
Rain,  King  of  the  Rain,  awake  !  High  time  to  be  up  ! 
The  King  of  the  Birds  sends  you  health  and  greeting  !" 

Felix  rose  at  once ;  and  his  Shadow,  rising  before 
him,  and  unbolting  the  loose  wooden  fastener  of  the 
door,  went  out  in  haste  to  see  who  called  beyond  the 
white  taboo-line  of  their  sacred  precincts. 


THE  GREAT   TABOO.  197 

A  native  woman,  tall,  lithe,  and  handsome,  stood 
there  in  the  full  light  of  morning,  beckoning.  A 
strange  glow  of  hatred  gleamed  in  her  large  gray  eyes. 
Her  shapely  brown  bosom  heaved  and  panted  heavily. 
Big  beads  glistened  moistly  on  her  smooth,  high  brow. 
It  was  clear  she  had  run  all  the  way  in  haste.  She  was 
deeply  excited  and  full  of  eager  anxiety. 

"  Why,  what  do  you  want  here  so  early,  Ula  ?"  the 
Shadow  asked  in  surprise  —  for  it  was  indeed  she. 
"  How  have  you  slipped  away,  as  soon  as  the  sun  has 
risen,  from  the  sacred  hut  of  Tu-Kila-Kila  ?" 

Ula's  gray  eyes  flashed  angry  fire  as  she  answered. 
"  He  has  beaten  me  again,"  she  cried,  in  revengeful 
tones ;  "  see  the  weals  on  my  back !  See  my  arms  and 
shoulders !  He  has  drawn  blood  from  my  wounds. 
He  is  the  most  hateful  of  gods.  I  should  love  to  kill 
him.  Therefore  I  slipped  away  from  him  with  the 
early  dawn  and  came  to  consult  with  his  enemy,  the 
King  of  the  Birds,  because  I  heard  the  words  that 
the  Eyes  of  Tu-Kila-Kila,  who  pervade  the  world,  re- 
port to  their  master.  The  Eyes  have  told  him  that  the 
King  of  the  Rain,  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds,  and  the 
King  of  the  Birds  are  plotting  together  in  secret  against 
Tu-Kila-Kila.  When  1  heard  that,  I  was  glad  ;  I  went 
to  the  King  of  the  Birds  to  warn  him  of  his  danger ; 
and  the  King  of  the  Birds,  concerned  for  your  safety, 
has  sent  me  in  haste  to  ask  his  brother  gods  to  go  at 
once  to  him." 

In  a  minute  Felix  was  up  and  had  called  out  Mali 
from  the  neighboring  hut.  "  Tell  Missy  Queenie," 
he  cried,  "  to  come  with  me  to  see  the  man-a-oui- 
oui !     The  mau-a-oui-oui  has  sent  me  for  us  to  come. 


19S  THE  GREAT  TABOO. 

She  must  make  great  haste.  He  wants  us  immedi- 
ately." 

With  a  word  and  a  sign  to  Toko,  Ula  glided  away 
stealthily  with  the  cat-like  tread  of  the  native  Polyne- 
sian woman,  back  to  her  hated  husband. 

Felix  went  out  to  the  door  and  heliographed  with 
his  bright  metal  plate,  turned  on  the  Frenchman's  hill, 
"What  is  it?" 

In  a  moment  the  answer  flashed  back,  word  by  word, 
"  Come  quick,  if  you  want  to  hear.  Methuselah  is 
reciting!" 

A  few  seconds  later  Muriel  emerged  from  her  hut, 
and  the  two  Europeans,  closely  followed,  as  always,  by 
their  inseparable  Shadows,  took  the  winding  side-path 
that  led  through  the  jungle  by  a  devious  way,  avoiding 
the  front  of  Tu-Kila-Kila's  temple,  to  the  Frenchman's 
cottage. 

They  found  M.  Peyron  very  much  excited,  partly  by 
Ula's  news  of  Tu-Kila-Kila's  attitude,  but  more  still  by 
Methuselah's  agitated  condition.  "  The  whole  night 
through,  my  dear  friends,"  he  cried,  seizing  their  hands, 
"  that  bird  has  been  chattering,  chattering,  chattering. 
Oh,  mon  Dieu,  quel  oiseau!  It  seems  as  though  the 
words  he  heard  yesterday  from  mademoiselle  had 
struck  some  lost  chord  in  the  creature's  memory.  But 
he  is  also  very  feeble.  I  can  see  that  well.  His  gar- 
rulity is  the  garrulity  of  old  age  in  its  last  flickering 
moments.  He  mumbles  and  mutters.  He  chuckles 
to  himself.  If  you  don't  hear  his  message  now  and  at 
once,  it's  my  solemn  conviction  you  will  never  hear  it." 

He  led  them  out  to  the  aviary,  where  Methuselah,  in 
effect,  was  sitting  on  his  perch,  most  tremulous  and  woe- 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  199 

begone.  His  feathers  shuddered  visibly  ;  he  could  no 
longer  preen  himself.  "Listen  to  what  he  says,"  the 
Frenchman  exclaimed,  in  a  very  serious  voice.  "  It  is 
your  last,  last  chance.  If  the  secret  is  ever  to  be  un- 
ravelled at  all,  by  Methuselah's  aid,  now  is,  without 
doubt,  the  proper  moment  to  unravel  it." 

Muriel  put  out  her  hand  and  stroked  the  bird  gen- 
tly. "  Pretty  Poll,"  she  said,  soothingly,  in  a  sympa- 
thetic voice.  "  Pretty  Poll !  Poor  Poll !  Was  he  ill  ? 
"Was  he  suffering?" 

At  the  sound  of  those  familiar  words,  unheard  so 
long  till  yesterday,  the  parrot  took  her  finger  in  his 
beak  once  more,  and  bit  it  with  the  tenderness  of  his 
kind  in  their  softer  moments.  Then  he  threw  back 
his  head  with  a  sort  of  mechanical  twist,  and  screamed 
out  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  for  the  last  time  on  earth, 
his  mysterious  message: 

"  Pretty  Poll !  Pretty  Poll !  God  save  the  king ! 
Confound  the  Duke  of  York.  Death  to  all  arrant 
knaves  and  roundheads ! 

"In  the  nineteenth  year  of  the  reign  of  his  most 
gracious  majesty,  King  Charles  the  Second,  I,  Nathan- 
iel Cross,  of  the  borough  of  Sunderland,  in  the  county 
of  Doorham,  in  England,  an  able-bodied  mariner,  then 
sailing  the  South  Seas  in  the  good  bark  Martyr  Prince, 
of  the  Port  of  Great  Grimsby,  whereof  one  Thomas 
Wells,  gent.,  under  God,  was  master,  was,  by  stress  of 
weather,  wrecked  and  cast  away  on  the  shores  of  this 
island,  called  by  its  gentile  inhabitants  by  the  name  of 
Boo  Parry.  In  which  wreck,  as  it  befell,  Thomas 
Wells,  gent.,  and  his  equipment  were,  by  divine  dis- 
position, killed  and  drowned,  save  and  except  three 


L'ihi  THE    GREAT    TABOO. 

mariners, whereof  I  am  one,  who  in  God's  good  provi- 
dence Bwam  safely  through  an  exceeding  great  flood 
of  waves  and  landed  at  laast  on  this  island.  There  my 
two  companions,  Owen  Williams  of  Swansea,  in  the 
parts  of  Wales,  and  Lewis  le  Pickard,  a  French  Hew- 
genott  refugee,  were  at  once,  by  the  said  gentiles,  cruelly 
entreated,  and  after  great  torture  cooked  and  eaten  at 
the  temple  of  their  chief  god,  Too-Keela-Keela.  But 
I,  myself,  having  through  God's  grace  found  favor  in 
their  eyes,  was  promoted  to  the  post  which  in  their 
speech  is  called  Korong,  the  nature  of  which  this  bird, 
my  mouthpiece,  will  hereafter,  to  your  ears,  more  fully 
discover." 

Having  said  so  much,  in  a  very  jerky  way,  Methuse- 
lah paused,  and  blinked  his  eyes  wearily. 

"  What  does  he  say  ?"  the  Frenchman  began,  eager 
to  know  the  truth.  But  Felix,  fearful  lest  any  inter- 
ruption might  break  the  thread  of  the  bird's  discourse 
and  cheat  them  of  the  sequel,  held  up  a  warning  finger, 
and  then  laid  it  on  his  lips  in  mute  injunction.  Me- 
thuselah threw  back  his  head  at  that  and  laughed 
aloud.  "  God  save  the  king  !"  he  cried  again,  in  a  still 
feebler  way,  "  and  to  hell  with  all  papists !" 

It  was  strange  how  they  all  hung  on  the  words  of 
that  unconscious  messenger  from  a  dead  and  gone  age, 
who  himself  knew  nothing  of  the  import  of  the  words 
he  was  uttering.  Methuselah  laughed  at  their  earnest- 
ness, shook  his  head  once  or  twice,  and  seemed  to  think 
to  himself.  Then  he  remembered  afresh  the  point  he 
had  broken  off  at. 

44  M&e  fully  discover.  For  seven  years  have  I  now 
lived  on  this  island,  never  having  seen  or  h'ard  Chris- 


THE   GREAT    TABOO.  201 

tian  face  or  voice ;  and  at  the  end  of  that  time,  feeling 
my  health  feail,  and  being  apprehensive  lest  any  of  my 
fellow-countrymen  should  hereafter  suffer  the  same 
fate  as  I  have  done,  I  began  to  teach  this  parrot  his 
message,  a  few  words  at  a  time,  impressing  it  duly  and 
fully  on  his  memory. 

"Larn,  then,  O  wayfarer,  that  the  people  of  Boo 
Parry  are  most  arrant  gentiles,  heathens,  and  carri- 
bals.  And  this,  as  I  discover,  is  the  nature  and  method 
of  their  vile  faith.  They  hold  that  the  gods  are  each 
and  several  incarnate  in  some  one  particular  human 
being.  This  human  being  they  worship  and  rever- 
ence with  all  ghostly  respect  as  his  incarnation.  And 
chiefly,  above  all,  do  they  revere  the  great  god  Too- 
Keela-Keela,  whose  representative  (may  the  Lord  in 
Heaven  forgive  me  for  the  same)  I  myself  am  at  this 
present  speaking.  Having  thus,  for  my  sins,  attained 
to  that  impious  honor. 

"  God  save  the  king  !  Confound  the  Duke  of  York ! 
To  hell  with  all  papists! 

"  It  is  the  fashion  of  this  people  to  hold  that  their 
gods  must  always  be  strong  and  lusty.  For  they  argue 
to  themselves  thus :  that  the  continuance  of  the  rain 
must  needs  depend  upon  the  vigor  and  subtlet}7  of  its 
Soul,  the  rain-god.  So  the  continuance  and  fruitful- 
ness  of  the  trees  and  plants  which  yield  them  food 
must  needs  depend  upon  the  health  of  the  tree-god. 
And  the  life  of  the  world,  and  the  light  of  the  sun, 
and  the  well-being  of  all  things  that  in  them  are,  must 
depend  upon  the  strength  and  cunning  of  the  high  god 
of  all,  Too-Keela-Keela.  Hence  they  take  great  care 
and  woorship  of  their  gods,  surrounding  them  with 


202  THE    GREAT   TABOO. 

man  v  rules  which  they  call  Taboo,  and  restricting  them 
as  to  what  they  shall  eat,  and  what  drink,  and  where- 
withal they  shall  seemly  clothe  themselves.  For  they 
think  that  if  the  King  of  the  Rain  at'  anything  that 
might  cause  the  colick,  or  like  humor  or  distemper, 
the  weather  will  thereafter  be  stormy  and  tempestu- 
ous; but  so  long  as  the  King  of  the  Rain  fares  well 
and  retains  his  health,  so  long  will  the  weather  over 
their  island  of  Boo  Parr}'  be  clear  and  prosperous. 

"  Furthermore,  as  I  have  larned  from  their  theolo- 
gians, being  myself,  indeed,  the  greatest  of  their  gods, 
it  is  evident  that  they  may  not  let  any  god  die,  lest 
that  department  of  nature  over  which  he  presideth 
should  wither  away  and  feail,  as  it  were,  with  him. 
But  reasonably  no  care  that  mortal  man  can  exercise 
will  prevent  the  possibility  of  their  god — seeing  he  is 
but  one  of  themselves — growing  old  and  feeble  and 
dying  at  laast.  To  prevent  which  calamity,  these  gen- 
tile folk  have  invented  (as  I  believe,  by  the  aid  and 
device  of  Sathan)  this  horrid  and  most  onnatural  prac- 
tice. The  man-god  must  be  killed  so  soon  as  he  show- 
eth  in  body  or  mind  that  his  native  powers  are  begin- 
ning to  feail.  And  it  is  necessary  that  he  be  killed, 
according  to  their  faith,  in  this  ensuing  fashion. 

"  If  the  man-god  were  to  die  slowly  by  a  death  in 
the  course  of  nature,  the  ways  of  the  world  might  be 
stopped  altogether.  Hence  these  savages  catch  the  soul 
of  their  god,  as  it  were,  ere  it  grow  old  and  feeble,  and 
transfer  it  betimes,  by  a  magic  device,  to  a  suitable 
successor.  And  surely,  the}T  say,  this  suitable  successor 
can  be  none  other  than  him  that  is  able  to  take  it  from 
him.     This,  then,  is  their  horrid  counsel  and  device — 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  203 

that  each  one  of  their  gods  should  kill  his  antecessor. 
In  doing  thus,  he  taketh  the  old  god's  life  and  soul, 
which  thereupon  migrates  and  dwells  within  him.  And 
by  this  tenure — may  Heaven  be  merciful  to  me,  a  sin- 
ner— do  I,  Nathaniel  Cross,  of  the  county  of  Doorham, 
now  hold  this  dignity  of  Too-Keela-Keela,  having  slain, 
therefor,  in  just  quarrel,  my  antecessor  in  the  high 
godship." 

As  he  reached  these  words  Methusaleh  paused,  and 
choked  in  his  throat  slightly.  The  mere  mechanical 
effort  of  continuing  the  speech  he  had  learned  hy  heart 
two  hundred  years  before,  and  repeated  so  often  since 
that  it  had  become  part  of  his  being,  was  now  almost 
too  much  for  him.  The  Frenchman  was  right.  They 
were  only  just  in  time.  A  few  days  later,  and  the  se- 
cret would  have  died  with  the  bird  that  preserved  it. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

AN    UNFINISHED    TALE. 

For  a  minute  or  two  Methusaleh  mumbled  inarticu- 
lately to  himself.  Then,  to  their  intense  discomfiture, 
he  began  once  more :  "  In  the  nineteenth  year  of  the 
reign  of  his  most  gracious  majesty,  King  Charles  the 
Second,  I,  Nathaniel  Cross — " 

"  Oh,  this  will  never  do,"  Felix  cried.  "  We  haven't 
got  yet  to  the  secret  at  all.  Muriel,  do  try  to  set  him 
right.  He  must  waste  no  breath.  We  can't  afford 
now  to  let  him  go  all  over  it." 

Muriel  stretched  out  her  hand  and  soothed  the  bird 


L>04  THE  GREAT  TABOO. 

gently  as  before.  "  Saving  slain,  therefore,  my  pre- 
decessor in  the  high  godship,"  she  suggested  in  the 
same  sing-song  voice  as  the  parrot's. 

To  her  immense  relief,  Methuselah  took  the  hint 
with  charming  docility. 

"  In  the  high  godship,"  he  went  on,  mechanically, 
where  he  had  stopped.  "  And  this  here  is  the  manner 
whereby  I  obtained  it.  The  Too-Keela-Keela  from 
time  to  time  doth  generally  appoint  any  castaway 
stranger  that  comes  to  the  island  to  the  post  of  Korong 
— that  is  to  say,  an  annual  god  or  victim.  For  as  the 
year  doth  renew  itself  at  each  change  of  seasons,  so  do 
these  carribals  in  their  gentilisme  believe  and  hold  that 
the  gods  of  the  seasons — to  wit,  the  King  of  the  Rain, 
the  Queen  of  the  Clouds,  the  Lord  of  Green  Leaves, 
the  King  of  Fruits,  and  others — must  needs  be  sleain 
and  renewed  at  the  diverse  solstices.  Now,  it  so  hap- 
pened that  I,  on  my  arrival  in  the  island,  was  appoint- 
ed Korong,  and  promoted  to  the  post  of  King  of  the 
Rain,  having  a  native  woman  assigned  me  as  Queen 
of  the  Clouds,  with  whom  I  might  keep  company. 
This  woman  being,  after  her  kind,  enamoured  of  me, 
and  anxious  to  escape  her  own  fate,  to  be  sleain  by  my 
side,  did  betray  to  me  that  secret  which  they  call  in 
their  tongue  the  Great  Taboo,  and  which  had  been 
betrayed  to  herself  in  turn  by  a  native  man,  her  former 
lover.  For  the  men  are  instructed  in  these  things  in 
the  mysteries  when  they  coom  of  age,  but  not  the 
women. 

"  And  the  Great  Taboo  is  this.  No  man  can  becoom 
a  Too-Keela-Keela  unless  he  first  sleay  the  man  in 
whom  the  high  god  is  incarnate  for  the  moment.    But 


TIIE   GREAT   TABOO.  205 

in  order  that  he  may  sleay  him,  he  must  also  himself 
be  a  full  Korong,  only  those  persons  who  are  already 
gods  being  capable  for  the  highest  post  in  their  hier- 
archy ;  even  as  with  ourselves,  none  but  he  that  is  a 
deacon  may  become  a  priest,  and  none  but  he  that  is 
a  priest  may  be  made  a  bishop.  For  this  reason,  then, 
the  Too-Keela-Keela  prefers  to  advance  a  stranger  to 
the  post  of  Korong,  seeing  that  such  a  person  will  not 
have  been  initiated  in  the  mysteries  of  the  island,  and 
therefore  will  not  be  aware  of  those  sundry  steps  which 
must  needs  be  taken  of  him  that  would  inherit  the 
godship. 

"  Furthermore,  even  a  Korong  can  only  obtain  the 
highest  rank  of  Too-Keela-Keela  if  he  order  all  things 
according  to  the  forms  and  ceremonies  of  the  Taboo 
parfectly.  For  these  gentiles  are  very  careful  of  the 
levitical  parts  of  their  religion,  deriving  the  same,  as  it 
seems  to  me,  from  the  polity  of  the  Hebrews,  the  fame 
of  whose  tabernacle  must  sure  have  gone  forth  through 
the  ends  of  the  woorld,  and  the  knowledge  of  whose 
temple  must  have  been  yet  more  wide  dispersed  by 
Solomon,  his  ships,  when  they  came  into  these  parts  to 
fetch  gold  from  Ophir.  And  the  ceremony  is,  that 
before  any  man  may  sleay  the  'arthly  tenement  of  Too- 
Keela-Keela  and  inherit  his  soul,  which  is  in  very  truth, 
as  they  do  think  the  god  himself,  he  must  needs  fight 
with  the  person  in  whom  Too-Keela-Keela  doth  then 
dwell,  and  for  this  reason.  If  the  holder  of  the  soul 
can  defend  himself  in  fight,  then  it  is  clear  that  his 
strength  is  not  one  whit  decayed,  nor  is  his  vigor  feail- 
ing ;  nor  yet  has  his  assailant  been  able  to  take  his  soul 
from  him.     But  if  the  Korong  in  open  fight  do  sleay 


206  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

the  person  in  whom  Too-Keela-Keela  dwells,  he  be- 
cometh  at  once  a  Too-Keela-Keela  himself — that  is  to 
Bay,  in  their  tongue,  the  Lord  of  Lords,  because  he 
hath  taken  the  life  of  him  that  preceded  him. 

"Yet  so  intricate  is  the  theology  and  practice  of 
these  loathsome  savages,  that  not  even  now  have  I 
explained  it  in  full  to  you,  O  shipwrecked  mariner, 
for  your  aid  and  protection.  For  a  Korong,  though 
it  be  a  part  of  his  privilege  to  contend,  if  he  will,  with 
Too-Keela-Keela  for  the  high  godship  and  princedom 
of  this  isle,  may  only  do  so  at  certain  appointed  times, 
places,  and  seasons.  Above  all  things,  it  is  necessary 
that  he  should  first  find  out  the  hiding-place  of  the 
soul  of  Too-Keela-Keela.  For  though  the  Too-Keela- 
Keela  for  the  time  that  is,  be  animated  by  the  god,  yet, 
for  greater  security,  he  doth  not  keep  his  soul  in  his 
own  body,  but,  being  above  all  things  the  god  of  fruit- 
fulness  and  generation,  who  causes  women  to  bear 
children,  and  the  plant  called  taro  to  bring  forth  its 
increase,  he  keepeth  his  soul  in  the  great  sacred  tree 
behind  his  temple,  which  is  thus  the  Father  of  All 
Trees,  and  the  chiefest  abode  of  the  great  god  Too- 
Keela-Keela. 

"  Nor  does  Too-Keela-Keela's  soul  abide  equally  in 
every  part  of  this  aforesaid  tree  ;  but  in  a  certain  bough 
of  it,  resembling  a  mistletoe,  which  hath  yellow  leaves, 
and,  being  broken  off,  groweth  ever  green  and  yellow 
afresh  ;  which  is  the  central  mystery  of  all  their  Sa- 
thanic  religion.  For  in  this  very  bough — easy  to  be 
discerned  by  the  eye  among  the  green  leaves  of  the 
tree — "  the  bird  paused  and  faltered. 

Muriel  leaned  forward  in  an  agony  of  excitement. 


THE    GREAT   TABOO.  207 

"Among  the  green  leaves  of  the  tree — "  she  went  on, 
soothing  him. 

Ilcr  voice  seemed  to  give  the  parrot  a  fresh  im- 
pulse to  speak.  " — Is  contained,  as  it  were,"  he  con- 
tinued, feebly,  "the  divine  essence  itself,  the  soul  and 
life  of  Too-Keela-Keela.  Whoever,  then,  being  a  full 
Korong,  breaks  this  off,  hath  thus  possessed  himself 
of  the  very  god  in  person.  This,  however,  he  must 
do  bv  exceeding  stealth  ;  for  Too-Keela-Keela,  or  rather 
the  man  that  bears  that  name,  being  the  guardian  and 
defender  of  the  great  god,  walks  ever  up  and  down, 
by  day  and  by  night,  in  exceeding  great  cunning, 
armed  with  a  spear  and  with  a  hatchet  of  stone,  around 
the  root  of  the  tree,  watching  jealously  over  the  branch 
which  is,  as  he  believes,  his  own  soul  and  being.  I, 
therefore,  being  warned  of  the  Taboo  by  the  woman 
that  was  my  consort,  did  craftily,  near  the  appointed 
time  for  my  own  death,  creep  out  of  my  hut,  and  my 
consort,  having  induced  one  of  the  wives  of  Too-Keela- 
Keela  to  make  him  drunken  with  too  much  of  that 
intoxicating  drink  which  they  do  call  kava,  did  pro- 
ceed— did  proceed — did  proceed —  In  the  nineteenth 
year  of  the  reign  of  his  most  gracious  majesty,  King 
Charles  the  Second — " 

Muriel  bent  forward  once  more  in  an  agony  of  sus- 
pense. "  Oh,  go  on,  good  Poll !"  she  cried.  "  Go  on. 
Remember  it.     Did  proceed  to — " 

The  single  syllable  helped  Methuselah's  memory. 
" — Did  proceed  to  stealthily  pluck  the  bough,  and,  hav- 
ing shown  the  same  to  Fire  and  Water,  the  guardians 
of  the  Taboo,  did  boldly  challenge  to  single  combat  the 
bodily  tenement  of  the  god,  with  spear  and  hatchet, 


208  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

provided  for  mc  in  accordance  with  ancient  custom  by 
Fire  and  Water.  In  which  combat,  Heaven  mercifully 
befriending  mc  against  my  enemy,  I  did  coom  out  con- 
queror ;  and  was  thereupon  proclaimed  Too-Keela-Keela 
myself,  with  ceremonies  too  many  and  barbarons  to 
mention,  lest  I  raise  your  gorge  at  them.  But  that 
which  is  most  important  to  tell  you  for  your  own  guid 
ance  and  safety,  O  mariner,  is  this — that  being  the 
sole  and  only  end  I  have  in  imparting  this  history  to 
so  strange  a  messenger — that  after  you  have  by  craft 
plucked  the  sacred  branch,  and  by  force  of  arms  over- 
coom  Too-Keela-Keela,  it  is  by  all  means  needful, 
whether  you  will  or  not,  that  submitting  to  the  hateful 
and  gentile  custom  of  this  people — of  this  people — 
Pretty  Poll !  Pretty  Poll !  God  save— God  save  the 
king !  Death  to  the  nineteenth  year  of  the  reign  of 
all  arrant  knaves  and  roundheads." 

He  dropped  his  head  on  his  breast,  and  blinked  his 
white  eyelids  more  feebly  than  ever.  His  strength 
was  failing  him  fast.  The  Soul  of  all  dead  parrots  was 
wearing  out.  M.  Peyron,  who  had  stood  by  all  this 
time,  not  knowing  in  any  way  what  might  be  the  value 
of  the  bird's  disclosures,  came  forward  and  stroked 
poor  Methuselah  with  his  caressing  hand.  But  Me- 
thuselah was  incapable  now  of  any  further  effort.  He 
opened  his  blind  eyes  sleepily  for  the  last,  last  time, 
and  stared  around  him  with  a  blank  stare  at  the  fading 
universe.  "God  save  the  king!"  he  screamed  aloud 
with  a  terrible  gasp,  true  to  his  colors  still.  "God 
save  the  king,  and  to  hell  with  all  papists!" 

Then  he  fell  off  his  perch,  stone  dead,  on  the  ground. 
They  were  never  to  hear  the  conclusion  of  that  strange, 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  209 

quaint  message  from  a  forgotten  age  to  our  more  scep- 
tical century. 

Felix  looked  at  Muriel,  and  Muriel  looked  at  Felix. 
They  could  hardly  contain  themselves  with  awe  and 
surprise.  The  parrot's  words  were  so  human,  its  speech 
was  so  real  to  them,  that  they  felt  as  though  the  Eng- 
lish Tu-Kila-Ivila  of  two  hundred  years  back  had  really 
and  truly  been  speaking  to  them  from  that  perch ;  it 
was  a  human  creature  indeed  that  lay  dead  before  them. 
Felix  raised  the  warm  body  from  the  ground  with 
positive  reverence.  "We  will  bury  it  decently,"  he 
said  in  French,  turning  to  M.  Peyron.  "He  was  a 
plucky  bird,  indeed,  and  he  has  carried  out  his  master's 
intentions  nobly." 

As  they  spoke,  a  little  rustling  in  the  jungle  hard  by 
attracted  their  attention.  Felix  turned  to  look.  A 
stealthy  brown  figure  glided  away  in  silence  through 
the  tangled  brushwood.  M.  Peyron  started.  "  We  are 
observed,  monsieur,"  he  said.  "  We  must  look  out  for 
squalls !     It  is  one  of  the  Eyes  of  Tu-Kila-Kila !" 

"  Let  him  do  his  worst !"  Felix  answered.  "  We  know 
his  secret  now,  and  can  protect  ourselves  against  him. 
Let  us  return  to  the  shade,  monsieur,  and  talk  this  all 
over.  Methuselah  has  indeed  given  us  something  to- 
day very  serious  to  think  about." 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

TU-KILA-KILA    STRIKES. 


And  yet,  when  all  was  said  and  done,  knowledge  of 
lila 
14 


Tu-Kila-Kila's  secret  didn't  seem  to  bring  Felix  and 


210  TIIE   GREAT   TABOO. 

Muriel  much  nearer  a  solution  of  their  own  great  prob- 
lems than  they  had  been  from  the  beginning.  In  spite 
•of  all  Methuselah  had  told  them,  they  were  as  far  off 
as  ever  from  securing  their  escape,  or  even  from  the 
chance  of  sighting  an  English  steamer. 

This  last  was  still  the  main  hope  and  expectation  of 
all  three  Europeans.  M.  Peyron,  who  was  a  bit  of  a 
mathematician,  had  accurately  calculated  the  time, 
from  what  Felix  told  him,  when  the  Australasian 
would  pass  again  on  her  next  homeward  voyage ;  and, 
when  that  time  arrived,  it  was  their- united  intention 
to  watch  night  and  day  for  the  faintest  glimmer  of  her 
lights,  or  the  faintest  wreath  of  her  smoke  on  the  far 
eastern  horizon.  They  had  ventured  to  confide  their 
design  to  all  three  of  their  Shadows  ;  and  the  Shadows, 
attached  by  the  kindness  to  which  they  were  so  little 
accustomed  among  their  own  people,  had  in  every  case 
agreed  to  assist  them  with  the  canoe,  if  occasion  served 
them.  So  for  a  time  the  two  doomed  victims  subsided 
into  their  accustomed  calm  of  mingled  hope  and  de- 
spair, waiting  patientl}7  for  the  expected  arrival  of  the 
much-longed-for  Australasian. 

If  she  took  that  course  once,  why  not  a  second  time  ? 
And  if  ever  she  hove  in  sight,  might  they  not  hope, 
after  all,  to  signal  to  her  with  their  rudely  constructed 
heliograph,  and  stop  her? 

As  for  Methuselah's  secret,  there  was  only  one  way, 
Felix  thought,  in  which  it  could  now  prove  of  any  use 
to  them.  When  the  actual  day  of  their  doom  drew 
nigh,  he  might,  perhaps,  be  tempted  to  try  the  fate 
which  Nathaniel  Cross,  of  Sunderland,  had  successfully 
courted.     That  might  gain  them  at  least  a  little  respite. 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  211 

Though  even  so,  he  hardly  knew  what  good  it  could 
do  him  to  be  elevated  for  a  while  into  the  chief  irod 
of  the  island.  It  might  not  even  avail  him  to  save 
Muriel's  life  ;  for  he  did  not  doubt  that  when  the  awful 
day  itself  had  actually  come  the  natives  would  do  their 
best  to  kill  her  in  spite  of  him,  unless  he  anticipated 
them  by  fulfilling  his  own  terrible,  yet  merciful,  promise. 

Week  after  week  went  by — month  after  month 
passed — and  the  date  when  the  Australasian  might 
reasonably  be  expected  to  reappear  drew  nearer  and 
nearer.  They  waited  and  trembled.  At  last,  a  few 
days  before  the  time  M.  Peyron  had  calculated,  as  Felix 
was  sitting  under  the  big  shady  tree  in  his  garden  one 
morning,  while  Muriel,  now  worn  out  with  hope  de- 
ferred, lay  within  her  hut  alone  with  Mali,  a  sound  of 
tom-toms  and  beaten  palms  was  heard  on  the  hill-path. 
The  natives  around  fell  on  their  faces  or  fled.  It  an- 
nounced  the  speedy  approach  of  Tn-Kila-Kila. 

By  this  time  both  the  castaways  had  grown  com- 
paratively accustomed  to  that  hideous  noise,  and  to  the 
hateful  presence  which  it  preceded  and  heralded.  A 
dozen  temple  attendants  tripped  on  either  side  down 
the  hill-path,  to  guard  him,  clapping  their  hands  in  a 
barbaric  measure  as  they  went ;  Fire  and  "Water,  in  the 
midst,  supported  and  flanked  the  divine  umbrella. 
Felix  rose  from  his  seat  with  very  little  ceremony,  in- 
deed, as  the  great  god  crossed  the  white  taboo-line  of 
his  precincts,  followed  only  beyond  the  limit  by  Fire 
and  Water. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  was  in  his  most  insolent  vein.  He 
glanced  around  with  a  horrid  light  of  triumph  dancing 
visibly  in  his  eyes.     It  was  clear  he  had  come,  intent 


212  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

upon  some  grand  theatrical  coup.  He  meant  to  take 
the  white-faced  stranger  by  surprise  this  time.  "  Good- 
morning,  O  King  of  the  Rain,"  he  exclaimed,  in  a  loud 
voice  and  with  boisterous  familiarity.  "  How  do  you 
like  your  outlook  now  ?  Things  are  getting  on.  Things 
are  getting  on.  The  end  of  your  rule  is  drawing  very 
near,  isn't  it?  Before  long  I  must  make  the  seasons 
change.  I  must  make  my  sun  turn.  I  must  twist 
round  my  sky.  And  then,  I  shall  need  a  new  Korong 
instead  of  you,  O  pale-faced  one !" 

Felix  looked  back  at  him  without  moving  a  muscle. 
"I  am  well,"  he  answered  shortly,  restraining  his  anger. 
"  The  year  turns  round  whether  you  will  or  not.  You 
are  right  that  the  sun  will  soon  begin  to  move  south- 
ward on  its  path  again.  But  many  things  may  happen 
to  all  of  us  meanwhile,     /am  not  afraid  of  you." 

As  he  spoke,  he  drew  his  knife,  and  opened  the 
blade,  unostentatiously,  but  firmly.  If  the  worst  were 
really  coming  now,  sooner  than  he  expected,  he  would 
at  least  not  forget  his  promise  to  Muriel. 

Tn-Kila-Kila  smiled  a  hateful  and  ominous  smile. 
"  I  am  a  great  god,"  he  said,  calmly,  striking  an  attitude 
as  was  his  wont.  "Hear  how  my  people  clap  their 
hands  in  my  honor!  I  order  all  things.  I  dispose  the 
course  of  nature  in  heaven  and  earth.  If  I  look  at  a 
cocoa-nut  tree,  it  dies;  if  I  glance  at  a  bread-fruit,  it 
withers  away.  We  will  see  before  long  whether  or  not 
you  are  afraid  of  me.  Meanwhile,  O  Korong,  I  Lave 
come  to  claim  my  dues  at  your  hands.  Prepare  for 
your  fate.  To-morrow  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds  must 
be  sealed  my  bride.  Fetch  her  out,  that  I  may  speak 
with  her.     I  have  come  to  tell  her  so." 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  213 

It  was  a  thunderbolt  from  a  clear  sky,  and  it  fell 
with  terrible  effect  on  Felix.  For  a  moment  the  knife 
trembled  in  his  grasp  with  an  almost  irresistible  im- 
pulse. He  could  hardly  restrain  himself,  as  he  heard 
those  horrible,  incredible  words,  and  saw  the  loathsome 
smirk  on  the  speaker's  face  by  which  they  were  ac- 
companied, from  leaping  then  and  there  at  the  savage's 
throat,  and  plunging  his  blade  to  the  haft  into  the  vile 
creature's  body.  But  by  a  violent  effort  he  mastered 
his  indignation  and  wrath  for  the  present.  Planting 
himself  full  in  front  of  Tu-Kila-Kila,  and  blocking  the 
way  to  the  door  of  that  sacred  English  girl's  hut — oh, 
how  horrible  it  was  to  him  even  to  think  of  her  purity 
being  contaminated  by  the  vile  neighborhood,  for  one 
minnte,  of  that  loathsome  monster !  He  looked  full  into 
the  wretch's  face,  and  answered  very  distinctly,  in  low, 
slow  tones,  "  If  you  dare  to  take  one  step  towards  the 
place  where  that  lady  now  rests,  if  you  dare  to  move 
your  foot  one  inch  nearer,  if  you  dare  to  ask  to  see  her 
face  again,  I  will  plunge  the  knife  hilt-deep  into  your 
vile  heart,  and  kill  you  where  you  stand  without  one 
second's  deliberation.  Now  you  hear  my  words  and 
you  know  what  I  mean.  My  weapon  is  keener  and 
fiercer  than  any  you  Polynesians  ever  saw.  Repeat 
those  words  once  more,  and  by  all  that's  true  and  holy, 
before  they're  out  of  your  mouth  I  leap  upon  you  and 
stab  you." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  drew  back  in  sudden  surprise.  He  was 
unaccustomed  to  be  so  bearded  in  his  own  sacred  isl- 
and. "  Well,  I  shall  claim  her  to-morrow,"  he  faltered 
out,  taken  aback  by  Felix's  unexpected  energy.  He 
paused  for  a  second,  then  he  went  on  more  slowly: 


L>14  Tin;  u;i:\t  tauoo. 

"•  To-morrow  I  will  come  with  all  my  people  to  claim 
my  bride.  This  afternoon  they  will  bring  her  mats  of 
grass  and  necklets  of  nautilus  shell  to  deck  her  for  her 
wedding,  as  becomes  Tu-Kila-Kila's  chosen  one.  The 
young  maids  of  Boupari  will  adorn  her  for  her  lord,  in 
the  accustomed  dress  of  Tu-Kila-Kila's  wives.  They 
will  clap  their  hands  ;  they  will  sing  the  marriage  song. 
Then  early  in  the  morning  I  will  come  to  fetch  her — 
and  woe  to  him  who  strives  to  prevent  me!" 

Felix  looked  at  him  long,  with  a  fixed  and  dogged 
look.  "  What  has  made  you  think  of  this  devilry  ?"  he 
asked  at  last,  still  grasping  his  knife  hard,  and  half  un- 
decided whether  or  not  to  use  it.  "  You  have  invented  all 
these  ideas.  You  have  no  claim,  even  in  the  horrid  cus- 
toms of  your  savage  country,  to  demand  such  a  sacrifice." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  laughed  loud,  a  laugh  of  triumphant 
and  discordant  merriment.  "Ha,  ha!"  he  cried,  "you 
do  not  understand  our  customs,  and  will  you  teach  me, 
the  very  high  god,  the  guardian  of  the  laws  and  prac- 
tices of  Boupari  ?  You  know  nothing ;  you  are  as  a 
little  child.  I  am  absolute  wisdom.  With  every  Ko- 
rong,  this  is  always  our  rule.  Till  the  moon  is  full,  on 
the  last  month  before  we  offer  up  the  sacrifice,  the 
Queen  of  the  Clouds  dwells  apart  with  her  Shadow  in 
her  own  new  temple.  So  our  fathers  decreed  it.  But 
at  the  full  of  the  moon,  when  the  day  has  come,  the 
usage  is  that  Tu-Kila-Kila,  the  very  high  god,  confers 
upon  her  the  honor  of  making  her  his  bride.  It  is  a 
mighty  honor.  The  feast  is  great.  Blood  flows  like 
water.  For  seven  days  and  nights,  then,  she  lives  with 
Tu-Kila-Kila  in  his  sacred  abode,  the  threshold  of 
Heaven  ;  she  eats  of  human  flesh  ;  she  tastes  human 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  215 

blood ;  she  drinks  abundantly  of  the  divine  kava.  At 
the  end  of  that  time,  in  accordance  with  the  custom  of 
our  fathers,  those  great  dead  gods,  Tu-Kila-Kila  per- 
forms the  high  act  of  sacrifice.  He  puts  on  his  mask 
of  the  face  of  a  shark,  for  he  is  holy  and  cruel ;  he 
brings  forth  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds  before  the  eyes 
of  all  his  people,  attired  in  her  wedding  robes,  and 
made  drunk  with  kava.  Then  he  gashes  her  with 
knives ;  he  offers  her  up  to  Heaven  that  accepted  her ; 
and  the  King  of  the  Rain  he  offers  after  her ;  and  all 
the  people  eat  of  their  flesh,  Korong!  and  drink  of 
their  blood,  so  that  the  body  of  gods  and  goddesses  may 
dwell  within  all  of  them.  And  when  all  is  done,  the 
high  god  chooses  a  new  king  and  queen  at  his  will  (for 
he  is  a  mighty  god),  who  rule  for  six  moons  more,  and 
then  are  offered  up,  at  the  end,  in  like  fashion." 

As  he  spoke,  the  ferocious  light  that  gleamed  in  the 
savage's  eye  made  Felix  positively  mad  with  anger. 
But  he  answered  nothing  directly.  "  Is  this  so  ?"  he 
asked,  turning  for  confirmation  to  Fire  and  Water.  "  Is 
it  the  custom  of  Boupari  that  Tu-Kila-Kila  should  wed 
the  Queen  of  the  Clouds  seven  days  before  the  date 
appointed  for  her  sacrifice  ?" 

The  King  of  Fire  and  the  King  of  "Water,  tried 
guardians  of  the  etiquette  of  Tu-Kila-Kila's  court,  made 
answer  at  once  with  one  accord,  "It  is  so,  O  King  of 
the  Rain.  Your  lips  have  said  it.  Tu-Kila-Kila  speaks 
the  solemn  truth.  He  is  a  very  great  god.  Such  is 
the  custom  of  Boupari." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  laughed  his  triumph  in  harsh,  savage 
outbursts. 

But  Felix  drew  back  for  a  second,  irresolute.     At 


216  TIIE    GREAT    TABOO. 

last  he  stood  face  to  face  with  the  absolute  need  for 
immediate  action.  Now  was  almost  the  moment  when 
he  must  redeem  his  terrible  promise  to  Muriel.  And 
yet,  even  so,  there  was  still  one  chance  of  life,  one  re- 
spite left.  The  mystic  yellow  bough  on  the  sacred 
banyan  !  the  Great  Taboo !  the  wager  of  battle  with 
Tu-Kila-Kila !  Quick  as  lightning,  it  all  came  up  in 
his  excited  brain.  Time  after  time,  since  he  heard 
Methuselah's  strange  message  from  the  grave,  had  he 
passed  Tu-Kila-Kila's  temple  enclosure,  and  looked  up 
with  vague  awe  at  that  sacred  parasite  that  grew  so 
conspicuously  in  a  fork  of  the  branches.  It  was  easy 
to  secure  it,  if  no  man  guarded.  There  still  remained 
one  night.  In  that  one  short  night  he  must  do  his 
best — and  worst.  If  all  then  failed,  he  must  die  him- 
self, with  Muriel ! 

For  two  seconds  he  hesitated.  It  wras  hateful  even 
to  temporize  with  so  hideous  a  proposition.  But  for 
Muriel's  sake,  for  her  dear  life's  sake,  he  must  meet 
these  savages  with  guile  for  guile.  "  If  it  be,  indeed, 
the  custom  of  Boupari,"  he  answered  back,  with  pale 
and  trembling  lips,  "  and  if  I,  one  man,  am  powerless 
to  prevent  it,  I  will  give  your  message,  myself,  to  the 
Queen  of  the  Clouds,  and  you  may  send,  as  you  say, 
your  wedding  decorations.  But  come  what  will — mark 
this — you  shall  not  see  her  yourself  to-day.  You  shall 
not  speak  to  her.  There  I  draw  a  line — so,  with  my 
stick  in  the  dust.  If  you  try  to  advance  one  step  be- 
yond, 1  stab  you  to  the  heart.  Wait  till  to-morrow  to 
take  your  prey.  Give  me  one  more  night.  Great  god 
as  you  are,  if  you  are  wise,  you  will  not  drive  an  angry 
man  to  utter  desperation." 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  217 

Tu-Kila-Kila  looked  with  a  suspicious  side  glance  at 
the  gleaming  steel  blade  Felix  still  lingered  tremulously. 
Though  Boupari  was  one  of  those  rare  and  isolated 
small  islands  unvisited  as  yet  by  European  trade,  he 
had,  nevertheless,  heard  enough  of  the  sailing  gods  to 
know  that  their  skill  was  deep  and  their  weapons  very 
dangerous.  It  would  be  foolish  to  provoke  this  man 
to  wrath  too  soon.  To-morrow,  when  taboo  was  re- 
moved, and  all  was  free  license,  he  would  come  when 
he  willed  and  take  his  bride,  backed  up  by  the  full 
force  of  his  assembled  people.  Meanwhile,  why  pro- 
voke a  brother  god  too  far?  After  all,  in  a  little  more 
than  a  week  from  now  the  pale-faced  Korong  would  be 
eaten  and  digested ! 

"  Very  well,"  he  said,  sulkily,  but  still  with  the  sul- 
len light  of  revenge  gleaming  bright  in  his  eye.  "  Take 
my  message  to  the  queen.  You  may  be  my  herald. 
Tell  her  what  honor  is  in  store  for  her — to  be  first  the 
wife  and  then  the  meat  of  Tu-Kila-Kila !  She  is  a 
very  fair  woman.  I  like  her  well.  I  have  longed  for 
her  for  months.  To-morrow,  at  the  early  dawn,  by  the 
break  of  day,  I  will  come  with  all  my  people  and  take 
her  home  by  main  force  to  me.1' 

He  looked  at  Felix  and  scowled,  an  angry  scowl  of 
revenge.  Then,  as  he  turned  and  walked  away,  under 
cover  of  the  great  umbrella,  with  its  dangling  pendants 
on  either  side,  the  temple  attendants  clapped  their 
hands  in  unison.  Fire  and  Water  marched  slow  and 
held  the  umbrella  over  him.  As  he  disappeared  in  the 
distance,  and  the  sound  of  his  tom-toms  grew  dim  on 
the  hills,  Toko,  the  Shadow,  who  had  lain  flat,  trem- 
bling, on  his  face  in  the  hut  while  the  god  was  speak- 


1M^  THE    GREAT   TABOO. 

ing,  came  out  and  looked  anxiously  and  fearfully  after 
him. 

"  The  time  is  ripe,"  he  said,  in  a  very  low  voice  to 
Felix.  "  A  Korong  may  strike.  Ail  the  people  of 
Boupari  murmur  among  themselves.  The}7  say  this 
fellow  has  held  the  spirit  of  Tu-Kila-Kila  within  him- 
self too  long.  He  waxes  insolent.  They  think  it  is 
high  time  the  great  God  of  Heaven  should  find  before 
long  some  other  fleshly  tabernacle." 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

A  RASH   RESOLVE. 


The  rest  of  that  day  was  a  time  of  profound  and 
intense  anxiety.  Felix  and  Muriel  remained  alone  iu 
their  huts,  absorbed  in  plans  of  escape,  but  messengers 
of  many  sorts  from  chiefs  and  gods  kept  continually 
coming  to  them.  The  natives  evidently  regarded  it 
as  a  period  of  preparation.  The  Eyes  of  Tu-Kila-Kila 
surrounded  their  precinct ;  yet  Felix  couldn't  help  no- 
ticing that  they  seemed  in  many  ways  less  watchful 
than  of  old,  and  that  they  whispered  and  conferred 
very  much  in  a  mysterious  fashion  with  the  people  of 
the  village.  More  than  once  Toko  shook  his  head, 
sagely.  "  If  only  any  one  dared  break  the  Great 
Taboo,"  he  said,  with  some  terror  on  his  face,  "  our 
people  would  be  glad.  It  would  greatly  please  them. 
They  are  tired  of  this  Tu-Kila-Kila.  He  has  held  the 
god  in  his  breast  far,  far  too  long.  They  would  will- 
ingly see  some  other  in  place  of  him." 


TIIE   GREAT    TABOO.  219 

Before  noon,  the  young  girls  of  the  village,  bringing 
native  mats  and  huge  strings  of  nautilus  shells,  trooped 
up  to  the  hut,  like  bridesmaids,  with  flowers  in  their 
hands,  to  deck  Muriel  for  her  approaching  wedding. 
Before  them  they  carried  quantities  of  red  and  brown 
tappa-cloth  and  very  fine  net-work,  the  dowry  to  be 
presented  by  the  royal  bride  to  her  divine  husband. 
Within  the  hut,  they  decked  out  the  Queen  of  the 
Clouds  with  garlands  of  flowers  and  necklets  of  shells, 
in  solemn  native  fashion,  bewailing  her  fate  all  the 
time  to  a  measured  dirge  in  their  own  language.  Mu- 
riel could  see  that  their  sympathy,  though  partly  con- 
ventional, was  largely  real  as  well.  Many  of  the  young 
girls  seized  her  hand  convulsively  from  time  to  time, 
and  kissed  it  with  genuine  feeling.  The  gentle  young 
English  woman  had  won  their  savage  hearts  by  her 
purity  and  innocence.  "  Poor  thing,  poor  thing," 
they  said,  stroking  her  hand  tenderly.  "  She  is  too 
good  for  Korong  !  Too  good  for  Tu-Kila-Kila !  If  only 
we  knew  the  Great  Taboo  like  the  men,  we  would  tell 
her  everything.  She  is  too  good  to  die.  We  are  sorry 
she  is  to  be  sacrificed  !" 

But  when  all  their  preparations  were  finished,  the 
chief  among  them  raised  a  calabash  with  a  little  scented 
oil  in  it,  and  poured  a  few  drops  solemnly  on  Muriel's 
head.  "  Oh,  great  god  !"  she  said,  in  her  own  tongue, 
"  we  offer  this  sacrifice,  a  goddess  herself,  to  yon.  We 
obey  your  words.  You  are  very  holy.  We  will  each 
of  us  eat  a  portion  of  her  flesh  at  your  feast.  So  give 
us  good  crops,  strong  health,  many  children  !" 

"  What  does  she  say  ?"  Muriel  asked,  pale  and  awe- 
struck, of  Mali. 


220  THE   GREAT  TAJ300. 

Mali  translated  the  words  with  perfect  sang-froid. 
At  that  awful  sound  Muriel  drew  back,  chill  and  cold 
to  the  marrow.  How  inconceivable  was  the  state  of 
mind  of  these  terrible  people  !  They  were  really  sorry 
for  her  ;  they  kissed  her  hand  with  fervor ,  and  yet 
they  deliberately  and  solemnly  proposed  to  eat  her! 

Towards  evening  the  young  girls  at  last  retired,  in 
regular  order,  to  the  clapping  of  hands,  and  Felix  was 
left  alone  with  Muriel  and  the  Shadows. 

Already  he  had  explained  to  Muriel  what  he  intended 
to  do  ;  and  Muriel,  half  dazed  with  terror  and  paralyzed 
by  these  awful  preparations,  consented  passively.  "But 
how  if  you  never  come  back,  Felix  ?"  she  cried  at  last, 
clinging  to  him  passionately. 

Felix  looked  at  her  with  a  fixed  look.  "  I  have 
thought  of  that,"  he  said.  "  M.  Peyron,  to  whom  I 
sent  a  message  by  flashes,  has  helped  me  in  my  diffi- 
culty. This  bowl  has  poison  in  it.  Peyron  sent  it  to 
me  to-day.  He  prepared  it  himself  from  the  root  of 
the  kava  bean.  If  by  sunrise  to-morrow  you  have 
heard  no  news,  drink  it  off  at  once.  It  will  instantly 
kill  you.  Tou  shall  not  fall  alive  into  that  creature's 
clutches." 

By  slow  degrees  the  evening  wore  on,  and  night 
approached — the  last  night  that  remained  to  them. 
Felix  had  decided  to  make  his  attempt  about  one  in 
the  morning.  The  moon  was  nearly  full  now,  and 
there  would  be  plenty  of  light.  Supposing  he  suc- 
ceeded, if  they  gained  nothing  else,  they  would  gain 
at  least  a  day  or  two's  respite. 

As  dusk  set  in,  and  they  sat  by  the  door  of  the  hut, 
they  were  all  surprised  to  see  Ula  approach  the  pre- 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  221 

cinct  stealthily  through  the  jungle,  accompanied  by 
two  of  Tu-Kila-Kila's  Eyes,  yet  apparently  on  some 
strange  and  friendly  message.  She  beckoned  imperi- 
ously with  one  finger  to  Toko  to  cross  the  line.  The 
Shadow  rose,  and  without  one  word  of  explanation 
went  out  to  speak  to  her.  The  woman  gave  her  mes- 
sage in  short,  sharp  sentences.  "We  have  found  out 
all,"  she  said,  breathing  hard.  "  Fire  and  Water  have 
learned  it.  But  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself  knows  nothing. 
We  have  found  out  that  the  King  of  the  Rain  has  dis- 
covered the  secret  of  the  Great  Taboo.  He  heard  it 
from  the  Soul  of  all  dead  parrots.  Tu-Kila-Kila's  Eyes 
saw,  and  learned,  and  understood.  But  they  said  noth- 
ing to  Tu-Kila-Kila.  For  my  counsel  was  wise ;  I 
planned  that  they  should  not,  with  Fire  and  Water. 
Fire  and  Water  and  all  the  people  of  Boupari  think, 
with  me,  the  time  has  come  that  there  should  arise 
among  us  a  new  Tu-Kila-Kila.  This  one  let  his  blood 
fall  out  upon  the  dust  of  the  ground.  His  luck  has 
gone.     We  have  need  of  another." 

"Then  for  what  have  you  come?"  Toko  asked,  all 
awe-struck.  It  was  terrible  to  him  for  a  woman  to 
meddle  in  such  high  matters. 

"  I  have  come,"  Ula  answered,  laying  her  hand  on 
his  arm,  and  holding  her  face  close  to  his  with  pro- 
found solemnity — "  I  have  come  to  say  to  the  King  of 
the  Rain,  'Whatever  yon  do,  that  do  quickly.'  To- 
night I  will  engage  to  keep  Tu-Kila-Kila  in  his  temple. 
He  shall  see  nothing.  He  shall  hear  nothing.  I  know 
not  the  Great  Taboo  ;  but  I  know  from  him  this  much 
— that  if  by  wile  or  guile  I  keep  him  alone  in  his  tem- 
ple to-night,  the  King  of  the  Rain  may  fight  with  him 


222  THE    GREAT    TABOO. 

in  single  combat;  and  if  the  King  of  the  Rain  con- 
quers in  the  battle,  he  becomes  himself  the  home  of 
the  great  deity." 

She  nodded  thrice,  with  her  hands  on  her  forehead, 
and  withdrew  as  stealthily  as  she  had  come  through 
the  jungle.  The  Eyes  of  Tn-Kila-Kila,  falling  into 
line,  remained  behind,  and  kept  watch  upon  the  huts 
with  the  closest  apparent  scrutiny. 

More  than  ever  they  were  hemmed  in  by  mystery 
on  mystery. 

The  Shadow  went  back  and  reported  to  Felix.  Fe- 
lix, turning  it  over  in  his  own  mind,  wondered  and  de- 
bated. Was  this  true,  or  a  trap  to  lure  him  to  de- 
struction ? 

As  the  night  wore  on,  and  the  hour  drew  nigh,  Muriel 
sat  beside  her  friend  and  lover,  in  blank  despair  and 
agony.  Plow  could  she  ever  allow  him  to  leave  her 
now?  How  could  she  venture  to  remain  alone  with 
Mali  in  her  hut  in  this  last  extremity?  It  was  awful 
to  be  so  girt  with  mysterious  enemies.  "I  must  go 
with  you,  Felix!  I  must  go,  too!"  she  cried  over  and 
over  again.  "  I  daren't  remain  behind  with  all  these 
awful  men.  And  then,  if  he  kills  either  of  us,  he  will 
kill  us  at  least  both  together." 

But  Felix  knew  he  might  do  nothing  of  the  sort. 
A  more  terrible  chance  was  still  in  reserve.  He  might 
spare  Muriel.  And  against  that  awful  possibility  he 
felt  it  his  duty  now  to  guard  at  all  hazard. 

"  No,  Muriel,"  he  said,  kissing  her,  and  holding  her 
pale  hand,  "I  must  go  alone.  You  can't  come  with 
me.  If  I  return,  we  will  have  gained  at  least  a  respite, 
till  the  Australasian  may  turn  up.     If  I  don't,  you 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  223 

will  at  any  rate  have  strength  of  mind  left  to  swallow 
the  poison,  before  Tu-Kila-Kila  comes  to  claim  you." 

Hour  after  hour  passed  by  slowly,  and  Felix  and 
the  Shadow  watched  the  stars  at  the  door,  to  know 
when  the  hour  for  the  attempt  had  arrived.  The  Eyes 
of  Tu-Kila-Kila,  peering  silent  from  just  beyond  the 
line,  saw  them  watching  all  the  time,  but  gave  no  sign 
or  token  of  disapproval.  With  heads  bent  low,  and 
tangled  hair  about  their  faces,  they  stood  like  statues, 
watching,  watching  sullenly.  Were  they  only  waiting 
till  he'  moved,  Felix  wondered ;  and  would  they,  then 
hasten  off  by  short  routes  through  the  jungle  to  warn 
their  master  of  the  impending  conflict? 

At  last  the  hour  came  when  Felix  felt  sure  there 
was  the  greatest  chance  of  Tu-Kila-Kila  sleeping  sound- 
ly in  his  hut,  and  forgetting  the  defence  of  the  sacred 
bough  on  the  holy  banyan-tree.  He  rose  from  his  seat 
with  a  gesture  for  silence,  and  moved  forward  to  Mu- 
riel. The  poor  girl  flung  herself,  all  tears,  into  his 
arms.  "  Oh,  Felix,  Felix,"  she  cried,  "  redeem  your 
promise  now  !  Kill  us  both  here  together,  and  then, 
at  least,  I  shall  never  be  separated  from  you !  It 
wouldn't  be  wrong!  It  can't  be  wrong!  We  would 
surely  be  forgiven  if  we  did  it  only  to  escape  falling 
into  the  hands  of  these  terrible  savages !" 

Felix  clasped  her  to  his  bosom  with  a  faltering  heart. 
"No,  Muriel,"  he  said,  slowly.  "Not  yet.  Not  yet. 
I  must  leave  no  opening  on  earth  untried  by  which  I 
can  possibly  or  conceivably  save  you.  It's  as  hard  for 
me  to  leave  you  here  alone  as  for  you  to  be  left.  But 
for  your  own  dear  sake,  I  must  steel  myself.  I  must 
do  it." 


224  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

He  kissed  her  many  times  over.  He  wiped  away 
her  tears.  Then  with  a  gentle  movement  he  untwined 
her  clasping  arms.  "  Yon  must  let  me  go,  my  own 
darling,"  he  said.  "  You  must  let  me  go,  without  cross- 
ing the  border.  If  you  pass  beyond  the  taboo-line  to- 
night, Heaven  only  knows  what,  perhaps,  may  happen 
to  you.  We  must  give  these  people  no  handle  of  of- 
fence. Good-night,  Muriel,  my  own  heart's  wife ;  and 
if  I  never  come  back,  then  good-by  forever." 

She  clung  to  his  arm  still.  He  disentangled  himself, 
gently.  The  Shadow  rose  at  the  same  moment,  and 
followed  in  silence  to  the  open  door.  Muriel  rushed 
after  them,  wildly.  "  Oh,  Felix,  Felix,  come  back," 
she  cried,  bursting  into  wild  floods  of  hot,  fierce  tears. 
"  Come  back  and  let  me  die  with  you !  Let  me  die ! 
Let  me  die  with  you  !" 

Felix  crossed  the  white  line  without  one  word  of 
reply,  and  went  forth  into  the  night,  half  unmanned 
by  this  effort,  Muriel  sank,  where  she  stood,  into 
Mali's  arms.  The  girl  caught  her  and  supported  her. 
But  before  she  had  fainted  quite  away  Muriel  had 
time  vaguely  to  see  and  note  one  significant  fact.  The 
Eyes  of  Tu-Kila-Kila,  who  stood  watching  the  huts 
with  lynx-like  care,  nodded  twice  to  Toko,  the  Shadow, 
as  he  passed  between  them  ;  then  they  stealthily  turned 
and  dogged  the  two  men's  footsteps  afar  off  in  the 
jungle. 

Muriel  was  left  by  herself  in  the  hut,  face  to  face 
with  Mali. 

"  Let  us  pray,  Mali,"  she  cried,  seizing  her  Shadow's 
arm. 

And  Mali,  moved  suddenly  by  some  half-obliterated 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  225 

impulse,  exclaimed  in  concert,  in  a  terrified  voice,  "  Let 
us  pray  to  Methodist  God  in  heaven !" 

For  her  life,  too,  hung  on  the  issue  of  that  rash 
endeavor. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

A  STRANGE   ALLY. 


In  Tu-Kila-Kila's  temple-hut,  meanwhile,  the  jealous, 
revengeful  god,  enshrined  among  his  skeletons,  was 
having  in  his  turn  an  anxious  and  doubtful  time  of  it. 
Ever  since  his  sacred  blood  had  stained  the  dust  of 
earth  by  the  Frenchman's  cottage  and  in  his  own  tem- 
ple, Tu-Kila-Kila,  for  all  his  bluster,  had  been  deeply 
stirred  and  terrified  in  his  inmost  soul  by  that  unlucky 
portent.  A  savage,  even  if  he  be  a  god,  is  always  su- 
perstitious. Could  it  be  that  his  own  time  was,  indeed, 
drawing  nigh?  that  he  who  had  remorselessly  killed 
and  eaten  so  many  hundreds  of  human  victims  was 
himself  to  fall  a  prey  to  some  more  successful  competi- 
tor ?  Had  the  white-faced  stranger,  the  King  of  the 
Eain,  really  learned  the  secrets  of  the  Great  Taboo 
from  the  Soul  of  all  dead  parrots  ?  Did  that  mysterious 
bird  speak  the  tongue  of  these  new  fire-bearing  Ko- 
rongs,  whose  doom  was  fixed  for  the  approaching  sol- 
stice ?  Tu-Kila-Kila  wondered  and  doubted.  His  suspi- 
cions were  keen,  and  deeply  aroused.  Late  that  night 
he  still  lurked  by  the  sacred  banyan-tree,  and  when  at 
last  he  retired  to  his  own  inner  temple,  white  with  the 
grinning  skulls  of  the  victims  he  had  devoured,  it  was 
15 


226  THE   GREAT  TAJiOO 

with  strict  injunctions  to  Fire  and  "Water,  and  to  his 
Eyes  that  watched  there,  to  bring  him  word  at  once 
of  an  v  projected  aggression  on  the  part  of  the  stranger. 

Within  the  temple-hut,  however,  Ula  awaited  him. 
That  was  a  pleasant  change.  The  beautiful,  supple, 
satin-skinned  Polynesian  looked  more  beautiful  and 
more  treacherous  than  ever  that  fateful  evening.  Her 
great  brown  limbs,  smooth  and  glossy  as  pearl,  were 
set  off  by  a  narrow  girdle  or  waistband  of  green  and 
scarlet  leaves,  twined  spirally  around  her.  Armlets  of 
nautilus  shell  threw  up  the  dainty  plumpness  of  her 
soft  round  forearm.  A  garland  hung  festooned  across 
one  shapely  shoulder ;  her  bosom  was  bare  or  but  half 
hidden  by  the  crimson  hibiscus  that  nestled  voluptu- 
ously upon  it.  As  Tu-Kila-Kila  entered,  she  lifted 
her  large  eyes,  and,  smiling,  showed  two  even  rows  of 
pearly  white  teeth.  "  My  master  has  come  !"  she  cried, 
holding  up  both  lissome  arms  with  a  gesture  to  wel- 
come him.  "  The  great  god  relaxes  his  care  of  the 
world  for  a  while.  All  goes  on  well.  He  leaves  his 
sun  to  sleep  and  his  stars  to  shine,  and  he  retires  to 
rest  on  the  unworthy  bosom  of  her,  his  mate,  his  meat, 
that  is  honored  to  love  him." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  was  scarcely  just  then  in  a  mood  for 
dalliance.  "  The  Queen  of  the  Clouds  comes  hither 
to-morrow,"  he  answered,  casting  a  somewhat  con- 
temptuous glance  at  Ula's  more  dusky  and  solid  charms. 
"  I  go  to  seek  her  with  the  wedding  gifts  early  in  the 
morning.  For  a  week  she  shall  be  mine.  And  after 
that — "  he  lifted  his  tomahawk  and  brought  it  down 
on  a  huge  block  of  wood  significantly. 

Ula  smiled  once  more,  that  deep,  treacherous  smile 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  227 

of  hers,  and  showed  her  white  teeth  even  deeper  than 
ever.  "If  my  lord,  the  great  god,  rises  so  early  to- 
morrow," she  said,  sidling  up  towards  him  voluptuously, 
"  to  seek  one  more  bride  for  his  sacred  temple,  all  the 
more  reason  he  should  take  his  rest  and  sleep  soundly 
to-night.  Is  he  not  a  god  ?  Are  not  his  limbs  tired  ? 
Does  he  not  need  divine  silence  and  slumber?" 

Tu-Kila-Kila  pouted.  "  I  could  sleep  more  soundly," 
he  said,  with  a  snort,  "  if  I  knew  what  my  enemy,  the 
Korong,  is  doing.  I  have  set  my  Eyes  to  watch  him, 
yet  I  do  not  feel  secure.  They  are  not  to  be  trusted. 
I  shall  be  happier  far  when  I  have  killed  and  eaten 
him."  He  passed  his  hand  across  his  bosom  with  a 
reflective  air.  You  have  a  great  sense  of  security  tow- 
ards your  enemy,  no  doubt,  when  you  know  that  he 
slumbers,  well  digested,  within  you. 

Ula  raised  herself  on  her  elbow,  and  gazed  snake-like 
into  his  face.  "  My  lord's  Eyes  are  everywhere,"  she 
said,  reverently,  with  every  mark  of  respect.  "  He 
sees  and  knows  all  things.  Who  can  hide  anything 
on  earth  from  his  face?  Even  when  he  is  asleep,  his 
Eyes  watch  well  for  him.  Then  why  should  the  great 
god,  the  Measurer  of  Heaven  and  Earth,  the  King  of 
Men,  fear  a  white-faced  stranger?  To-morrow  the 
Queen  of  the  Clouds  will  be  yours,  and  the  stranger 
will  be  abased :  ha,  ha,  he  will  grieve  at  it !  To-night, 
Fire  and  Water  keep  guard  and  watch  over  you.  Who- 
ever would  hurt  you  must  pass  through  Fire  and  Wa- 
ter before  he  reach  your  door.  Fire  would  burn,  Water 
would  drown.  This  is  a  Great  Taboo.  No  stranger 
dare  face  it." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  lifted  himself  up  in  his  thrasonic  mood. 


22S  THE   GREAT  TABOO. 

"  If  he  did,1'  be  cried,  swelling  himself,  "I  would  shrivel 
him  to  ashes  with  one  flash  of  my  eyes.  I  would  scorch 
him  to  a  cinder  with  one  stroke  of  my  lightning." 

Ula  smiled  again,  a  well-satisfied  smile.  She  was 
working  her  man  up.  "  Tu-Kila-Kila  is  great,"  she 
repeated  slowly.  "  All  earth  obeys  him.  All  heaven 
fears  him." 

The  savage  took  her  hand  with  a  doubtful  air.  "  And 
yet,"  he  said,  toying  with  it,  half  irresolute,  "  when  I 
went  to  the  white-faced  stranger's  hut  this  morning,  he 
did  not  speak  fair;  he  answered  me  insolently.  His 
words  were  bold.  He  talked  to  me  as  one  talks  to  a 
man,  not  to  a  great  god.  Ula,  I  wonder  if  he  knows 
my  secret?" 

Ula  started  back  in  well-affected  horror.  "  A  white- 
faced  stranger  from  the  sun  know  your  secret,  O  great 
king !"  she  cried,  hiding  her  face  in  a  square  of  cloth. 
"  See  me  beat  my  breast !  Impossible  !  Impossible  ! 
No  one  of  your  subjects  would  dare  to  tell  him  so  great 
a  taboo.  It  would  be  rank  blasphemy.  If  they  did, 
your  anger  would  utterly  consume  them  !" 

"  That  is  true,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  said,  practically,  "  but  I 
might  not  discover  it.  I  am  a  very  great  god.  My 
Eyes  are  everywhere.  No  corner  of  the  world  is  hid 
from  my  gaze.  All  the  concerns  of  heaven  and  earth 
are  my  care.  And  therefore,  sometimes,  I  overlook 
some  detail." 

"  No  man  alive  would  dare  to  tell  the  Great  Taboo !" 
Ula  repeated,  confidently.  "  Why,  even  I  myself,  who 
am  the  most  favored  of  your  wives,  and  who  am  per- 
mitted to  bask  in  the  light  of  your  presence — even  I, 
Ula — I  do  not  know  it.     How  much  less,  then,  the 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  229 

spirit  from  the  sun,  the  sailing  god,  the  white-faced 
stranger !" 

Tu-Kila-Kila  pursed  up  his  brow  and  looked  pre- 
ternaturally  wise,  as  the  savage  loves  to  do.  "  But  the 
parrot,"  he  cried,  "  the  Soul  of  all  dead  parrots !  lie 
knew  the  secret,  they  say : — I  taught  it  him  myself  in 
an  ancient  day,  many,  many  years  ago — when  no  man 
now  living  was  born,  save  only  I — in  another  incarna- 
tion— and  he  may  have  told  it.  For  the  strangers,  they 
say,  speak  the  language  of  birds ;  and  in  the  language 
of  birds  did  I  tell  the  Great  Taboo  to  him." 

Ula  pooh-poohed  the  mighty  man-god's  fears.  "  ]S"o, 
no,"  she  cried,  with  confidence ;  "  he  can  never  have 
told  them.  If  he  had,  would  not  your  Eyes,  that  watch 
ever  for  all  that  happens  on  heaven  or  earth,  have 
straightway  reported  it  to  you  ?  The  parrot  died  with- 
out yielding  up  the  tale.  Were  it  otherwise,  Toko, 
who  loves  and  worships  you,  would  surely  have  told 
me." 

The  man-god  puckered  his  brows  slightly,  as  if  he 
liked  not  the  security.  "Well,  somehow,  Ula,"  he 
said,  feeling  her  soft  brown  arms  with  his  divine  hand, 
slowly, "  I  have  always  had  my  doubts  since  that  day 
the  Soul  of  all  dead  parrots  bit  me.  A  vicious  bird ! 
What  did  he  mean  by  his  bite  ?"  He  lowered  his  voice 
and  looked  at  her  fixedly.  "  Did  not  his  spilling  my 
blood  portend,"  he  asked,  with  a  shudder  of  fear,  "  that 
through  that  ill-omened  bird  I,  who  was  once  Lavita, 
should  cease  to  be  Tu-Kila-Kila  ?" 

Ula  smiled  contentedly  again.  To  say  the  truth, 
that  was  precisely  the  interpretation  she  herself  had 
put  on  that  terrific  omen.     The  parrot  had  spilled  Tu- 


230  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

Kila-Kila's  sacred  blood  upon  the  soil  of  earth.  Ac- 
cording to  her  simple  natural  philosophy  that  was  a 
certain  sign  that  through  the  parrot's  instrumentality 
Tu-Kila-Kila's  life  would  be  forfeited  to  the  great 
eternal  earth-spirit.  Or,  rather,  the  earth-spirit  would 
claim  the  blood  of  the  man,  Lavita,  in  whose  body  it 
dwelt,  and  would  itself  migrate  to  some  new  earthly 
tabernacle. 

But  for  all  that,  she  dissembled.  "  Great  god,"  she 
cried,  smiling  a  benign  smile,  "you  are  tired!  You 
are  thirsty !  Care  for  heaven  and  earth  has  wearied 
you  out.  You  feel  the  fatigue  of  upholding  the  sun 
in  heaven.  Your  arms  must  ache.  Your  thews  must 
give  under  you.  Drink  of  the  soul-inspiring  juice 
of  the  kava !  My  hands  have  prepared  the  divine 
cup.  For  Tu-Kila-Kila  did  I  make  it-1— fresh,  pure,  in- 
vigorating !" 

She  held  the  bowl  to  his  lips  with  an  enticing  smile. 
Tu-Kila-Kila  hesitated  and  glanced  around  him  sus- 
piciously. "  What  if  the  white-faced  stranger  should 
come  to-night?"  he  whispered,  hoarsely.  "He  may 
have  discovered  the  Great  Taboo,  after  all.  Who  can 
tell  the  ways  of  the  world,  how  they  come  about  ?  My 
people  are  so  treacherous.  Some  traitor  may  have  be- 
trayed it  to  him." 

"  Impossible,"  the  beautiful,  snake-like  woman  an- 
swered, with  a  strong  gesture  of  natural  dissent.  "  And 
even  if  he  came,  would  not  kava,  the  divine,  inspiriting 
drink  of  the  gods,  in  which  dwell  the  embodied  souls 
of  our  fathers — would  not  kava  make  you  more  vigor- 
ous, strong  for  the  fight?  Would  it  not  course  through 
your  limbs  like  fire  {     Would  it  not  pour  into  your 


€  THE    GREAT    TABOO.  231 

soul  the  divine,  abiding  strength  of  your  mighty  mother, 
the  eternal  earth-spirit?" 

"  A  little,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  said,  yielding,  "  but  not  too 
much.  Too  much  would  stupefy  me.  When  the  spir- 
its, that  the  kava-tree  sucks  up  from  the  earth,  are  too 
strong  within  us,  they  overpower  our  own  strength,  so 
that  even  I,  the  high  god — even  I  can  do  nothing." 

Ula  held  the  bowl  to  his  lips,  and  enticed  him  to 
drink  with  her  beautiful  eyes.  "  A  deep  draught,  O 
supporter  of  the  sun  in  heaven,"  she  cried,  pressing  his 
arm  tenderly.  "Am  I  not  Ula?  Did  I  not  brew  it 
for  you  ?  Am  I  not  the  chief  and  most  favored  among 
your  women  ?  I  will  sit  at  the  door.  I  will  watch  all 
night.  I  will  not  close  an  eye.  Not  a  footfall  on  the 
ground  but  my  ear  shall  hear  it." 

"  Do,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  said,  laconically.  "  I  fear  Fire 
and  Water.  Those  gods  love  me  not.  Fain  would 
they  make  me  migrate  into  some  other  body.  But 
I  myself  like  it  not.  This  one  suits  me  admirably. 
Ula,  that  kava  is  stronger  than  you  are  used  to  make 
it." 

"  No,  no,"  Ula  cried,  pressing  it  to  his  lips  a  second 
time,  passionately.  "  You  are  a  very  great  god.  You 
are  tired  ;  it  overcomes  you.  And  if  you  sleep,  I  will 
watch.  Fire  and  Water  dare  not  disobey  your  com- 
mands. Are  you  not  great  ?  Your  Eyes  are  every- 
where.    And  I,  even  I,  will  be  as  one  of  them." 

The  savage  gulped  down  a  few  more  mouthfuls  of 
the  intoxicating  liquid.  Then  he  glanced  up  again 
suddenly  with  a  quick,  suspicious  look.  The  cunning 
of  his  race  gave  him  wisdom  in  spite  of  the  deadly 
strength  of  the  kava  Ula  had  brewed  too  deep  for  him. 


232  T1IE  GREAT  TABOO. 

With  a  sudden  resolve,  he  rose  and  staggered  out. 
"You  are  a  serpent,  woman  !"  he  cried  angrily,  seeing 
the  smile  that  lurked  upon  Ula's  face.  "  To-morrow  I 
will  kill  you.  I  will  take  the  white  woman  for  my 
bride,  and  she  and  I  will  feast  off  your  carrion  bod}7. 
You  have  tried  to  betray  me, but  you  are  not  cunning 
enough,  not  strong  enough.  No  woman  shall  kill  me. 
I  am  a  very  great  god.  I  will  not  yield.  I  will  wait 
by  the  tree.  This  is  a  trap  you  have  set,  but  I  do  not 
fall  into  it.  If  the  King  of  the  Rain  comes,  I  shall  be 
there  to  meet  him." 

He  seized  his  spear  and  hatchet  and  walked  forth, 
erect,  without  one  sign  of  drunkenness.  Ula  trembled 
to  herself  as  she  saw  him  go.  She  was  playing  a  deep 
game.  Had  she  given  him  only  just  enough  kava  to 
strengthen  and  inspire  him? 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

WAGER   OF   BATTLE. 

Felix  wound  his  way  painfully  through  the  deep 
fern-brake  of  the  jungle,  by  no  regular  path,  so  as  to 
avoid  exciting  the  alarm  of  the  natives,  and  to  take 
Tu-Kila-Kila's  palace-temple  from  the  rear,  where  the 
big  tree,  which  overshadowed  it  with  its  drooping 
branches,  was  most  easily  approachable.  As  he  and 
Toko  crept  on,  bending  low,  through  that  dense  tropical 
scrub,  in  deathly  silence,  they  were  aware  all  the  time 
of  a  low,  crackling  sound  that  rang  ever  some  paces  in 
the  rear  on  their  trail  through  the  forest.     It  was  Tu- 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  233 

Kila-Kila's  Eyes,  following  them  stealthily  from  aiar, 
footstep  for  footstep,  through  the  dense  undergrowth 
of  bush,  and  the  crisp  fallen  leaves  and  twigs  that 
snapped  light  beneath  their  footfall.  What  hope  of 
success  with  those  watchful  spies,  keen  as  beagles  and 
cruel  as  bloodhounds,  following  ever  on  their  track? 
What  chance  of  escape  for  Felix  and  Muriel,  with  the 
cannibal  man-god's  toils  laid  round  on  every  side  to 
insure  their  destruction  ? 

Silently  and  cautiously  the  two  men  groped  their 
way  on  through  the  dark  gloom  of  the  woods,  in  spite 
of  their  mute  pursuers.  The  moonlight  flickered  down 
athwart  the  trackless  soil  as  they  went ;  the  hum  of  in- 
sects innumerable  droned  deep  among  the  underbrush. 
Now  and  then  the  startled  scream  of  a  night-jar  broke 
the  monotony  of  the  buzz  that  was  worse  than  silence; 
owls  boomed  from  the  hollow  trees,  and  fireflies  darted 
dim  through  the  open  spaces.  At  last  they  emerged 
upon  the  cleared  area  of  the  temple.  There  Felix, 
without  one  moment's  hesitation,  with  a  firm  and  reso- 
lute tread,  stepped  over  the  white  coral  line  that 
marked  the  taboo  of  the  great  god's  precincts.  That 
was  a  declaration  of  open  war ;  he  had  crossed  the 
Eubicon  of  Tu-Kila-Kila's  empire.  Toko  stood  trem- 
bling on  the  far  side ;  none  might  pass  that  mystic  line 
unbidden  and  live,  save  the  Korong  alone  who  could 
succeed  in  breaking  off  the  bough  "  with  yellow  leaves, 
resembling  a  mistletoe,"  of  which  Methuselah,  the  par- 
rot, had  told  Felix  and  Muriel,  and  so  earn  the  right 
to  fight  for  his  life  with  the  redoubted  and  redoubt- 
able  Tu-Kila-Kila. 

As  he  stepped  over  the  taboo-line,  Felix  was  aware 


234  THE  GREAT  TABOO. 

of  many  native  eyes  fixed  stonily  upon  him  from  the 
surrounding  precinct.  Clearly  they  were  awaiting  him. 
Yet  not  a  soul  gave  the  alarm  ;  that  in  itself  would 
have  been  to  break  taboo.  Every  man  or  woman 
among  the  temple  attendants  within  that  charmed  cir- 
cle stood  on  gaze  curiously.  Close  by,  Ula,  the  favor- 
ite wife  of  the  man-god,  crouched  low  by  the  hut,  with 
one  linger  on  her  treacherous  lip,  bending  eagerly  for- 
ward, in  silent  expectation  of  what  next  might  happen. 
Once,  and  once  only,  she  glanced  at  Toko  with  a  mute 
sign  of  triumph;  then  she  fixed  her  big  eyes  on  Felix 
in  tremulous  anxiety ;  for  to  her  as  to  him,  life  and 
death  now  hung  absolutely  on  the  issue  of  his  enter- 
prise. A  little  farther  back  the  King  of  Fire  and  the 
King  of  Water,  in  full  sacrificial  robes,  stood  smiling 
sardonically.  For  them  it  was  merely  a  question  of 
one  master  more  or  less,  one  Tu-Kila-Kila  in  place  of 
another.  They  had  no  special  interest  in  the  upshot 
of  the  contest,  save  in  so  far  as  they  always  hated  most 
the  man  who  for  the  moment  held  by  his  own  strong 
arm  the  superior  godship  over  them.  Around,  Tu- 
Kila-Kila's  Eyes  kept  watch  and  ward  in  sinister  si- 
lence. Taboo  was  stronger  than  even  the  commands 
of  the  high  god  himself.  When  once  a  Korong  had 
crossed  that  fatal  line,  unbidden  and  un welcomed  by 
Tu-Kila-Kila,  he  came  as  Tu-Kila-Kila's  foe  and  would- 
be  successor;  the  duty  of  every  guardian  of  the  temple 
was  then  to  see  fair  play  between  the  god  that  was  and 
the  god  that  might  be — the  Tu-Kila-Kila  of  the  hour 
and  the  Tu-Kila-Kila  who  might  possibly  supplant 
him. 

"  Let  the  great  spirit  itself  choose  which  body  it  will 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  235 

inhabit,"  the  King  of  Fire  murmured  in  a  soft,  low- 
voice,  glancing  towards  a  dark  spot  at  the  foot  of  the 
big  tree.  The  moonlight  fell  dim  through  the  branches 
on  the  place  where  he  looked.  The  gibbering  bones  of 
dead  victims  rattled  lightly  in  the  wind.  Felix's  eyes 
followed  the  King  of  Fire's,  and  saw,  lying  asleep  upon 
the  ground,  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself,  with  his  spear  and 
tomahawk. 

He  lay  there,  huddled  up  by  the  very  roots  of  the 
tree,  breathing  deep  and  regularly.  Right  over  his 
head  projected  the  branch,  in  one  part  of  whose  boughs 
grew  the  fateful  parasite.  By  the  dim  light  of  the 
moon,  straggling  through  the  dense  foliage,  Felix  could 
see  its  yellow  leaves  distinctly.  Beneath  it  hung  a 
skeleton,  suspended  by  invisible  cords,  head  downward 
from  the  branch.  It  was  the  skeleton  of  a  previous 
Korong  who  had  tried  in  vain  to  reach  the  bough,  and 
perished.  Tu-Kila-Kila  had  made  high  feast  on  the 
victim's  flesh ;  his  bones,  now  collected  together  and 
cunningly  fastened  with  native  rope,  served  at  once  as 
a  warning  and  as  a  trap  or  pitfall  for  all  who  might 
rashly  venture  to  follow  him. 

Felix  stood  for  one  moment,  alone  and  awe-struck,  a 
solitary  civilized  man,  among  those  hideous  surround- 
ings. Above,  the  cold  moon ;  all  about,  the  grim, 
stolid,  half-hostile  natives;  close  by,  that  strange,  ser- 
pentine, savage  wife,  guarding,  cat-like,  the  sleep  of  her 
cannibal  husband ;  behind,  the  watchful  Eyes  of  Tu- 
Kila-Kila,  waiting  ever  in  the  background,  ready  to 
raise  a  loud  shout  of  alarm  and  warning  the  moment 
the  fatal  branch  was  actually  broken,  but  mute,  by  their 
vows,  till  that  moment  was  accomplished.     Then  a 


236  TUE   GREAT   TABOO. 

sudden  wild  impulse  urged  him  on  to  the  attempt. 
The  banyan  had  dropped  down  rooting  offsets  to  the 
ground,  after  the  fashion  of  its  kind,  from  its  main 
branches.  Felix  seized  one  of  these  and  swung  him- 
self lightly  up,  till  he  reached  the  very  limb  on  which 
the  sacred  parasite  itself  was  growing. 

To  get  to  the  parasite,  however,  he  must  pass  di- 
rectly above  Tu-Kila-Kila's  head,  and  over  the  point 
where  that  ghastly  grinning  skeleton  was  suspended, 
as  by  an  unseen  hair,  from  the  fork  that  bore  it. 

He  walked  along,  balancing  himself,  and  clutching, 
as  he  went,  at  the  neighboring  boughs,  while  Tu-Kila- 
Kila,  overcome  with  the  kava,  slept  stolidly  and  heav- 
ily on  beneath  him.  At  last  he  was  almost  within 
grasp  of  the  parasite.  Could  he  lunge  out  and  clutch 
it?  One  try — one  effort!  No,  no;  he  almost  lost 
footing  and  fell  over  in  the  attempt.  He  couldn't 
keep  his  balance  so.  He  must  try  farther  on.  Come 
what  might,  he  must  go  past  the  skeleton. 

The  grisly  mass  swung  again,  clanking  its  bones  as 
it  swung,  and  groaned  in  the  wind  ominously.  The 
breeze  whistled  audibly  through  its  hollow  skull  and 
vacant  eye-sockets.  Tu-Kila-Kila  turned  uneasily  in 
his  sleep  below.  Felix  saw  there  was  not  one  instant 
of  time  to  be  lost  now.  He  passed  on  boldly ;  and  as 
he  passed,  a  dozen  thin  cords  of  paper  mulberry, 
stretched  every  way  in  an  invisible  net-work  among 
the  boughs,  too  small  to  be  seen  in  the  dim  moonlight, 
caught  him  with  their  toils  and  almost  overthrew  him. 
They  broke  with  his  weight,  and  Felix  himself,  stum- 
bling blindly,  fell  forward.  At  the  cost  of  a  sprained 
wrist  and  a  great  jerk  on  his  bruised  lingers,  he  caught 


THE  GREAT   TABOO.  237 

at  a  bough  by  his  side,  but  wrenched  it  away  suddenly. 
It  was  touch  and  go.  At  the  very  same  moment,  the 
skeleton  fell  heavily,  and  rattled  on  the  ground  beside 
Tu-Kila-Kila. 

Before  Felix  could  discover  what  had  actually  hap- 
pened, a  very  great  shout  went  up  all  round  below,  and 
made  him  stagger  with  excitement.  Tu-Kila-Kila  was 
awake,  and  had  started  up,  all  intent,  mad  with  wrath 
and  kava.  Glaring  about  him  wildly,  and  brandishing 
his  great  spear  in  his  stalwart  hands,  he  screamed  aloud, 
in  a  perfect  frenzy  of  passion  and  despair:  "  Where 
is  he,  the  Korong  ?  Bring  him  on,  my  meat !  Let  me 
devour  his  heart !  Let  me  tear  him  to  pieces.  Let 
me  drink  of  his  blood  !     Let  me  kill  him  and  eat  him  !" 

Sick  and  desperate  at  the  accident,  Felix,  in  turn, 
clinging  hard  to  his  bough  with  one  hand,  gazed  wildly 
about  him  to  look  for  the  parasite.  But  it  had  gone 
as  if  by  magic.  He  glanced  around  in  despair,  vaguely 
conscious  that  nothing  was  left  for  it  now  but  to  drop 
to  the  ground  and  let  himself  be  killed  at  leisure  by 
that  frantic  savage.  Yet  even  as  he  did  so,  he  was 
aware  of  that  great  cry — a  cry  as  of  triumph — still 
rending  the  air.  Fire  and  Water  had  rushed  forward, 
and  were  holding  back  Tu-Kila-Kila,  now  black  in  the 
face  from  rage,  with  all  their  might.  Ula  was  smiling 
a  malicious  joy.  The  Eyes  were  all  agog  with  interest 
and  excitement.  And  from  one  and  all  that  wild 
scream  rose  unanimous  to  the  startled  sky :  "  He  has 
it!  He  has  it!  The  Soul  of  the  Tree  !  The  Spirit  of 
the  World !  The  great  god's  abode.  Hold  off  your 
hands,  Lavita,  son  of  Sami !  Your  trial  has  come.  He 
has  it !     He  has  it !" 


238  THE  GREAT   TABOO. 

Felix  looked  about  him  with  a  whirling  brain.  His 
eye  fell  suddenly.  There,  in  his  own  hand,  lay  the 
fateful  bough.  In  his  efforts  to  steady  himself,  he  had 
clutched  at  it  by  pure  accident,  and  broken  it  off  un- 
awares with  the  force  of  his  clutching.  As  fortune 
would  have  it,  he  grasped  it  still.  His  senses  reeled. 
He  was  almost  dead  with  excitement,  suspense,  and 
uncertainty,  mingled  with  pain  of  his  wrenched  wrist. 
But  for  Muriel's  sake  he  pulled  himself  together. 
Gazing  down  and  trying  hard  to  take  it  all  in — that 
strange  savage  scene — he  saw  that  Tu-Kila-Kila  was 
making  frantic  attempts  to  lunge  at  him  with  the 
spear,  while  the  King  of  Fire  and  the  King  of  Water, 
stern  and  relentless,  were  holding  him  off  by  main 
force,  and  striving  their  best  to  appease  and  quiet  him. 

There  was  an  awful  pause.  Then  a  voice  broke  the 
stillness  from  beyond  the  taboo-line : 

"  The  Shadow  of  the  King  of  the  Rain  speaks,"  it 
said,  in  very  solemn,  conventional  accents.  "Korong! 
Korong !  The  Great  Taboo  is  broken.  Fire  and 
Water,  hold  him  in  whom  dwells  the  god  till  my 
master  comes.  He  has  the  Soul  of  all  the  spirits  of 
the  wood  in  his  hands.  He  will  fight  for  his  right. 
Taboo  !     Taboo  !     I,  Toko,  have  said  it." 

He  clapped  his  hands  thrice. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  made  a  wild  effort  to  break  away  once 
more.  But  the  King  of  Fire,  standing  opposite  him, 
spoke  still  louder  and  clearer.  "  If  you  touch  the  Ko- 
rong before  the  line  is  drawn,"  he  said,  with  a  voice  of 
authority,  "you  are  no  Tu-Kila-Kila,  but  an  outcast 
and  a  criminal.  All  the  people  will  hold  you  with 
forked  sticks,  while  the  Korong  burns  yon  alive  slow- 


THE    GREAT    TABOO. 


239 


Ij,  limb  by  limb,  with  me,  who  am  Fire,  the  fierce,  the 
consuming.  I  will  scorch  you  and  hake  you  till  you 
are  as  a  bamboo  in  the  flame.  Taboo  !  Taboo  !  Ta- 
boo !     I,  Fire,  have  said  it/' 

The  King  of  Water,  with  three  attendants,  forced 
Tu-Kila-Kila  on  one  side  for  a  moment.  Ula  stood 
by  and  smiled  pleased  compliance.  A  temple  slave, 
trembling  all  over  at  this  conflict  of  the  gods,  brought 
out  a  calabash  full  of  white  coral-sand.  The  King  of 
"Water  spat  on  it  and  blessed  it.  By  this  time  a  dozen 
natives,  at  least,  had  assembled  outside  the  taboo-line, 
and  stood  eagerly  watching  the  result  of  the  combat. 
The  temple  slave  made  a  long  white  mark  with  the 
coral-sand  on  one  side  of  the  cleared  area.  Then  he 
handed  the  calabash  solemnly  to  Toko.  Toko  crossed 
the  sacred  precinct  with  a  few  inaudible  words  of  mut- 
tered charm,  to  save  the  Taboo,  as  prescribed  in  the 
mysteries.  Then  he  drew  a  similar  line  on  the  ground 
on  his  side,  some  twenty  yards  off.  "  Descend,  O  my 
lord !"  he  cried  to  Felix ;  and  Felix,  still  holding  the 
bough  tight  in  his  hand,  swung  himself  blindly  from 
the  tree,  and  took  his  place  by  Toko. 

"  Toe  the  line !"  Toko  cried,  and  Felix  toed  it, 

"  Bring  up  your  god  !"  the  Shadow  called  out  aloud 
to  the  King  of  Water.  And  the  King  of  Water,  using 
no  special  ceremony  with  so  great  a  duty,  dragged  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  helplessly  along  with  him  to  the  farther 
taboo-line. 

The  King  of  Water  brought  a  spear  and  tomahawk, 
lie  handed  them  to  Felix.  "  With  these  weapons,"  he 
said,  "light,  and  merit  heaven.  I  hold  the  bough 
meanwhile — the  victor  takes  it." 


240  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

The  King  of  Fire  stood  out  between  the  lists.  "Ko- 
rongs  and  gods,"  lie  said,  "  the  King  of  the  Rain  has 
plucked  the  sacred  bough,  according  to  our  fathers' 
rites,  and  claims  trial  which  of  you  two  shall  hence- 
forth hold  the  sacred  soul  of  the  world,  the  great  Tu- 
Kila-Kila.  Wager  of  Battle,  decides  the  day.  Keep 
toe  to  line.  At  the  end  of  my  words,  forth,  forward, 
and  fight  for  it.  The  great  god  knows  his  own,  and 
will  choose  his  abode.  Taboo,  Taboo,  Taboo  !  I,  Fire, 
have  spoken  it." 

Scarcely  were  the  words  well  out  of  his  mouth, 
when,  with  a  wild  whoop  of  rage,  Tu-Kila-Kila,  who 
had  the  advantage  of  knowing  the  rules  of  the  game, 
so  to  speak,  dashed  madly  forward,  drunk  with  passion 
and  kava,  and  gave  one  lunge  with  his  spear  full  tilt  at 
the  breast  of  the  startled  and  unprepared  white  man. 
His  aim,  though  frantic,  was  not  at  fault.  The  spear 
struck  Felix  high  up  on  the  left  side.  He  felt  a  dull 
thud  of  pain ;  a  faint  gurgle  of  blood.  Even  in  the 
pale  moonlight  his  eye  told  him  at  once  a  red  stream 
was  trickling  out  over  his  flannel  shirt.  He  was 
pricked,  at  least.     The  great  god  had  wounded  him. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

VICTORY  — AND   AFTER? 

The  great  god  had  wounded  him.  But  not  to  the 
heart.  Felix,  as  good  luck  would  have  it,  happened  to 
be  wearing  buckled  braces.  He  had  worn  them  on 
board,  and,  like  the  rest  of  his  costume,  had,  of  course, 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  241 

never  since  been  able  to  discard  them.  They  stood 
him  in  good  stead  now.  The  buckle  caught  the  very 
point  of  the  bone-tipped  spear,  and  broke  the  force  of 
the  blow,  as  the  great  god  lunged  forward.  The  wound 
was  but  a  graze;  and  Tu-Kila-Kila's  light  shaft  snap- 
ped short  in  the  middle. 

Madder  and  wilder  than  ever,  the  savage  pitched  it 
away,  yelling,  rushed  forward  with  a  fierce  curse  on 
his  angry  tongue,  and  flung  himself,  tooth  and  nail,  on 
his  astonished  opponent. 

The  suddenness  of  the  onslaught  almost  took  the 
Englishman's  breath  away.  By  this  time,  however, 
Felix  had  pulled  together  his  ideas  and  taken  in  the 
situation.  Tu-Kila-Kila  was  attacking  him  now  with 
his  heavy  stone  axe.  He  must  parry  those  deadly 
blows.  He  must  be  alert,  but  watchful.  He  must  put 
himself  in  a  posture  of  defence  at  once.  Above  all,  he 
must  keep  cool  and  have  his  wits  about  him. 

If  he  could  but  have  drawn  his  knife,  he  would  have 
stood  a  better  chance  in  that  hand-to-hand  conflict. 
But  there  was  no  time  now  for  such  tactics  as  those. 
Besides,  even  in  close  fight  with  a  bloodthirsty  savage, 
an  English  gentleman's  sense  of  fair  play  never  for  one 
moment  deserts  him.  Felix  felt,  if  they  were  to  fight 
it  out  face  to  face  for  their  lives,  they  should  fight  at 
least  on  a  perfect  equality.  Steel  against  stone  was  a 
mean  advantage.  Parrying  Tu-Kila-Kila's  first  des- 
perate blow  with  the  haft  of  his  own  hatchet,  he  leaped 
aside  half  a  second  to  gain  breath  and  strength.  Then 
he  rushed  on,  and  dealt  one  deadly  down-stroke  with 
the  ponderous  weapon. 

For  a  minute  or  two  they  closed,  in  perfectly  savage 
16 


C 


24-2  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

single  combat.  Fire  and  Water,  observant  and  impar- 
tial, stood  by  like  seconds  to  see  the  god  himself  decide 
the  issue,  which  of  the  two  combatants  should  be  his 
living  representative.  The  contest  was  brief  but  very 
hard -fought.  Tu-Kila-Kila,  inspired  with  the  last 
frenzy  of  despair,  rushed  wildly  on  his  opponent  with 
hands  and  fists,  and  teeth  and  nails,  dealing  his  blows 
in  blind  fury,  right  and  left,  and  seeking  only  to  sell 
his  life  as  dearly  as  possible.  In  this  last  extremity, 
his  very  superstitions  told  against  him.  Everything 
seemed  to  show  his  hour  had  come.  The  parrot's  bite 
— the  omen  of  his  own  blood  that  stained  the  dust  of 
earth — Ula's  treachery — the  chance  by  which  the  Ko- 
rong  had  learned  the  Great  Taboo — Felix's  accidental 
or  providential  success  in  breaking  off  the  bough — the 
length  of  time  be  himself  had  held  the  divine  honors 
— the  probability  that  the  god  would  by  this  time  be- 
gin to  prefer  a  new  and  stronger  representative — all 
these  things  alike  combined  to  fire  the  drunk  and  mad- 
dened savage  with  the  energy  of  despair.  He  fell  upon 
his  enemy  like  a  tiger  upon  an  elephant.  He  fought 
with  his  tomahawk  and  his  feet  and  his  whole  lithe 
body  ;  he  foamed  at  the  mouth  with  impotent  rage ; 
he  spent  his  force  on  the  air  in  the  extremity  of  his 
passion. 

Felix,  on  the  other  hand,  sobered  by  pain,  and  nerved 
by  the  fixed  consciousness  that  Muriel's  safety  now  de- 
pended absolutely  on  his  perfect  coolness,  fought  with 
the  calm  skill  of  a  practised  fencer.  Happily,  he  had 
learned  the  gentle  art  of  thrust  and  parry  years  before 
in  England  ;  and  though  both  weapon  and  opponent 
were  here  so  different,  the  lessons  of  quickness  and 


o 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  243 

calm  watchfulness  he  had  gained  in  that  civilized  school 
stood  him  in  good  stead,  even  now,  under  such  adverse 
circumstances.  Tu-Kila-Kila,  getting  spent,  drew  back 
for  a  second  at  last,  and  panted  for  breath.  That  faint 
breathing-space  of  a  moment's  duration  sealed  his  fate. 
Seizing  his  chance  with  consummate  skill,  Felix  closed 
upon  the  breathless  monster,  and  brought  down  the 
heavy  stone  hammer  point  blank  upon  the  centre  of 
his  crashing  skull.  The  weapon  drove  home.  It  cleft 
a  great  red  gash  in  the  cannibal's  head.  Tu-Kila-Kila 
reeled  and  fell.  There  was  an  infinitesimal  pause  of 
silence  and  suspense.  Then  a  great  shout  went  up 
from  all  round  to  heaven,  "He  has  killed  him!  He 
has  killed  him!  We  have  a  new-made  god  !  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  is  dead  !     Long  live  Tu-Kila-Kila !" 

Felix  drew  back  for  a  moment,  panting  and  breath- 
less, and  wiped  his  wet  brow  with  his  sleeve,  his  brain 
all  whirling.  At  his  feet,  the  savage  lay  stretched  like 
a  log.  Felix  gazed  at  the  blood-bespattered  face  re- 
morsefully. It  is  an  awful  thing,  even  in  a  just  quar- 
rel, to  feel  that  you  have  really  taken  a  human  life ! 
The  responsibility  is  enough  to  appal  the  bravest  of 
us.  He  stooped  down  and  examined  the '  prostrate 
body  with  solemn  reverence.  Blood  was  flowing  in 
torrents  from  the  wounded  head.  But  Tu-Kila-Kila 
was  dead — stone-dead  forever. 

Hot  tears  of  relief  welled  up  into  Felix's  eyes.  He 
touched  the  body  cautiously  with  a  reverent  hand.  No 
life.     No  motion. 

Just  as  he  did  so,  the  woman  Ula  came  forward, 
bare-limbed  and  beautiful,  all  triumph  in  her  walk,  a 
proud,  insensitive  savage.      One  second  she  gazed  at 


244  THE   GREAT  TABOO. 

the  great  corpse  disdainfully.  Then  she  lifted  her 
dainty  foot,  and  gave  it  a  contemptuous  kick.  "  The 
body  of  Lavita,  the  son  of  Sami,"  she  said,  with  a  gest- 
ure of  hatred.  "  He  had  a  bad  heart.  We  will  cook 
it  and  eat  it."  Next,  turning  to  Felix,  "  Oh,  Tu-Kila- 
Kila,"  she  cried,  clapping  her  hands  three  times  and 
bowing  low  to  the  ground,  "you  are  a  very  great  god. 
We  will  serve  you  and  salute  yon.  Am  not  I,  Ula, 
one  of  your  wives,  your  meat  ?  Do  with  me  as  you 
will.  Toko,  you  are  henceforth  the  great  god's  Shad- 
ow !" 

Felix  gazed  at  the  beautiful,  heartless  creature,  all 
horrified.  Even  on  Boupari,  that  cannibal  island,  he 
was  hardly  prepared  for  quite  so  low  a  depth  of  savage 
insensibility.  But  all  the  people  around,  now  a  hundred 
or  more,  standing  naked  before  their  new  god,  took  up 
the  shout  in  concert.  "  The  body  of  Lavita,  the  son 
of  Sami,"  they  cried.  "  A  carrion  corpse  !  The  god 
has  deserted  it.  The  great  soul  of  the  world  has  en- 
tered the  heart  of  the  white-faced  stranger  from  the 
disk  of  the  sun ;  the  King  of  the  Rain ;  the  great  Tu- 
Kila-Kila.  We  will  cook  and  eat  the  body  of  Lavita, 
the  son  of  Sami.  He  was  a  bad  man.  He  is  a  worn- 
out  shell.  Nothing  remains  of  him  now.  The  great 
god  has  left  him." 

They  clapped  their  hands  in  a  set  measure  as  they 
recited  this  hymn.  The  King  of  Fire  retreated  into 
the  temple.  Ula  stood  by,  and  whispered  low  with 
Toko.  There  was  a  ceremonial  pause  of  some  fifteen 
minutes.  Presently,  from  the  inner  recesses  of  the 
temple  itself,  a  low  noise  issued  forth  as  of  a  rising 
wind.    For  some  seconds  it  buzzed  and  hummed,  dron- 


% 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  ^4.5 

ingly.  But  at  the  very  first  note  of  that  holy  sound 
Ula  dropped  her  lover's  hand,  as  one  drops  a  red-hot 
coal,  and  darted  wildly  off  at  full  speed,  like  some 
frightened  wild  beast,  into  the  thick  jungle.  Every 
other  woman  near  began  to  rush  away  with  equally 
instantaneous  signs  of  haste  and  fear.  The  men,  on 
the  other  hand,  erect  and  naked,  with  their  hands  on 
their  foreheads,  crossed  the  taboo-line  at  once.  It  was 
the  summons  to  all  who  had  been  initiated  at  the  mys- 
teries— the  sacred  bull-roarer  was  calling  the  assembly 
of  the  men  of  Boupari. 

For  several  minutes  it  buzzed  and  droned,  that  mys- 
tic implement,  growing  louder  and  louder,  till  it  roared 
like  thunder.  One  after  another,  the  men  of  the  isl- 
and rushed  in  as  if  mad  or  in  flight  for  their  lives  be- 
fore some  fierce  beast  pursuing  them.  They  ran  up, 
panting,  and  dripping  with  sweat ;  their  hands  clapped 
to  their  foreheads ;  their  eyes  starting  wildly  from 
their  staring  sockets ;  torn  and  bleeding  and  lacerat- 
ed by  the  thorns  and  branches  of  the  jungle,  for  each 
man  ran  straight  across  country  from  the  spot  where 
he  lay  asleep,  in  the  direction  of  the  sound,  and  never 
paused  or  drew  breath,  for  dear  life's  sake,  till  he  stood 
beside  the  corpse  of  the  dead  Tu-Kila-Kila. 

And  every  moment  the  cry  pealed  louder  and  louder 
still.  "  Lavita,  the  son  of  Sami,  is  dead,  praise  Heaven  ! 
The  King  of  the  Rain  has  slain  him,  and  is  now  the 
true  Tu-Kila-Kila!" 

Felix  bent  irresolute  over  the  fallen  savage's  blood- 
stained corpse.  What  next  was  expected  of  him  he 
hardly  knew  or  cared.  His  one  desire  now  was  to 
return  to  Muriel— to  Muriel,  whom  he  had  rescued 


•^46  THE    GREAT   TABOO. 

from  something  worse  than  death  at  th'e  hateful  hands 
of  that  accursed  creature  who  lay  breathless  forever 
on  the  ground  beside  him. 

Somebody  came  up  just  then,  and  seized  his  hand 
warmly.  Felix  looked  up  with  a  start.  It  was  their 
friend,  the  Frenchman.  "Ah,  my  captain,  yon  have 
done  well,"  M.  Peyron  cried,  admiring  him.  "What 
courage!  What  coolness !  What  pluck!  What  sol- 
diership! I  couldn't  see  all.  But  I  was  in  at  the 
death !  And  oh,  mon  Dieu,  how  I  admired  and  en- 
vied you !" 

By  this  time  the  bull-roarer  had  ceased  to  bellow 
among  the  rocks.  The  King  of  Fire  stood  forth.  In 
his  hands  he  held  a  length  of  bamboo-stick  with  a 
lighted  coal  in  it.  "  Bring  wood  and  palm-leaves,"  he 
said,  in  a  tone  of  command.  "  Let  me  light  myself 
up,  that  I  may  blaze  before  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

He  turned  and  bowed  thrice  very  low  before  Felix. 
"  The  accepted  of  Heaven,"  he  cried,  holding  his  hands 
above  him.  "  The  very  high  god !  The  King  of  all 
Things !  He  sends  down  his  showers  upon  our  crops 
and  our  fields.  He  causes  his  sun  to  shine  brightly 
over  us.  He  makes  our  pigs  and  our  slaves  bring  forth 
their  increase.  All  we  are  but  his  meat.  We,  his 
people,  praise  him." 

And  all  the  men  of  Boupari,  naked  and  bleeding, 
bent  low  in  response.  "  Tu-Kila-Kila  is  great,"  they 
chanted,  as  they  clapped  their  hands.  "  We  thank  him 
that  he  has  chosen  a  fresh  incarnation.  The  sun  will 
not  fade  in  the  heavens  overhead,  nor  the  bread-fruits 
wither  and  cease  to  bear  fruit  on  earth.  Tu-Kila-Kila, 
our  god,  is  great.     He  springs  ever  young  and  fresh, 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  247 

like  the  herbs  of  the  field.  He  is  a  most  high  god. 
We,  his  people,  praise  him." 

Four  temple  attendants  brought  sticks  and  leaves, 
while  Felix  stood  still,  half  dazed  with  the  newness  of 
these  strange  preparations.  The  King  of  Fire,  with  his 
torch,  set  light  to  the  pile.  It  blazed  merrily  on  high. 
"I,  Fire,  salute  you,"  he  cried,  bending  over  it  towards 
Felix.  "Now  cut  up  the  body  of  Lavita,  the  son  of 
Sami,"  he  went  on,  turning  towards  it  contemptuously. 
"  I  will  cook  it  in  my  flame,  that  Tu-Kila-Kila  the  great 
may  eat  of  it." 

Felix  drew  back  with  a  face  all  aglow  with  horror 
and  disgust.  "  Don't  touch  that  body  !"  he  cried,  au- 
thoritatively, putting  his  foot  down  firm.  "Leave  it 
alone  at  once.  I  refuse  to  allow  you."  Then  he  turned 
to  M.  Peyron.  "The  King  of  the  Birds  and  I,"  he 
said,  with  calm  resolve,  "we  two  will  bury  it." 

The  King  of  Fire  drew  back  at  these  strange  words, 
nonplussed.  This  was,  indeed,  an  ill-omened  break  in 
the  ceremony  of  initiation  of  a  new  Tu-Kila-Kila,  to 
which  he  had  never  before  in  his  life  been  accus- 
tomed. He  hardly  knew  how  to  comport  himself  un- 
der such  singular  circumstances.  It  was  as  though  the 
sovereign  of  England,  on  coronation-day,  should  refuse 
to  be  crowned,  and  intimate  to  the  archbishop,  in  his 
full  canonicals,  a  confirmed  preference  for  the  repub- 
lican form  of  government.  It  was  a  contingency  that 
law  and  custom  in  Boupari  had  neither,  in  their  wis- 
dom, foreseen  nor  provided  for. 

The  King  of  Water  whispered  low  in  the  new  god's 
ear.  "  You  must  eat  of  his  body,  my  lord,"  he  said. 
"  That  is  absolutely  necessary.     Every  one  of  us  must 


248  THK   GREAT   TABOO. 

eal  of  the  flesh  of  the  god  :  but  you,  above  all,  must  eat 
his  heart,  his  divine  nature.  Otherwise  you  can  never 
be  full  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

"  I  don't  care  a  straw  for  that,"  Felix  cried,  now 
aroused  to  a  full  sense  of  the  break  in  Methuselah's 
story,  and  trembling  with  apprehension.  "  You  may 
kill  me  if  yon  like;  we  can  die  only  once;  but  human 
flesh  I  can  never  taste ;  nor  will  I,  while  I  live,  allow 
you  to  touch  this  dead  man's  body.  We  will  bury  it 
ourselves,  the  King  of  the  Birds  and  I.  You  may  tell 
your  people  so.  That  is  my  last  word."  He  raised 
his  voice  to  the  customary  ceremonial  pitch.  "  I,  the 
new  Tu-Kila-Kila,"  he  said,  "  have  spoken  it." 

The  King  of  Fire  and  the  King  of  Water,  taken 
aback  at  his  boldness,  conferred  together  for  some 
seconds  privately.  The  people  meanwhile  looked  on 
and  wondered.  What  could  this  strange  hitch  in  the 
divine  proceedings  mean  ?  Was  the  god  himself  recal- 
citrant ?  Never  in  their  lives  had  the  oldest  men  among 
them  known  anything  like  it. 

And  as  they  whispered  and  debated,  awe-struck  but 
discordant,  a  shout  arose  once  more  from  the  outer 
circle — a  mighty  shout  of  mingled  surprise,  alarm,  and 
terror.  "  Taboo  !  Taboo  !  Fence  the  mysteries  !  Be- 
ware !  Oh,  great  god,  we  warn  you.  The  mysteries 
are  in  danger!  Cut  her  down  !  Kill  her!  A  woman  ! 
A  woman !" 

At  the  words,  Felix  was  aware  of  somebody  bursting 
through  the  dense  crowd  and  rushing  wildly  towards 
him.  Next  moment,  Muriel  hung  and  sobbed  on  his 
shoulder,  while  Mali,  just  behind  her,  stood  crying  and 
moaning. 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  249 

Felix  held  the  poor  startled  girl  in  his  arms  and 
soothed  her.  And  all  around  another  great  cry  arose 
from  five  hundred  lips :  "  Two  women  have  profaned 
the  mysteries  of  the  god.  They  are  Tu-Kila-Kila's 
trespass-offering.     Let  us  kill  them  and  eat  them !" 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

SUSPENSE. 


In  a  moment,  Felix's  mind  was  fully  made  up. 
There  was  no  time  to  think ;  it  was  the  hour  for 
action.  He  saw  how  he  must  comport  himself  towards 
this  strange  wild  people.  Seating  Muriel  gently  on 
the  ground,  Mali  beside  her,  and  stepping  forward  him- 
self, with  Peyron's  hand  in  his,  he  beckoned  to  the  vast 
and  surging  crowd  to  bespeak  respectful  silence. 

A  mighty  hush  fell  at  once  upon  the  people.  The 
King  of  Fire  and  the  King  of  Water  stood  back, 
obedient  to  his  nod.  They  waited  for  the  upshot  of 
this  strange  new  development. 

"  Men  of  Boupari,"  Felix  began,  speaking  with  a 
marvellous  fluency  in  their  own  tongue,  for  the  excite- 
ment itself  supplied  him  with  eloquence;  "I  have 
killed  your  late  god  in  the  prescribed  way ;  I  have 
plucked  the  sacred  bough,  and  fought  in  single  combat 
by  the  established  rules  of  your  own  religion.  Fire 
and  Water,  you  guardians  of  the  customs  of  this  holy 
island,  is  it  not  so  ?  You  saw  all  things  done,  did  you 
not,  after  the  precepts  of  your  ancestors  ?" 

The  King  of  Fire  bowed  low  and  answered :  "  Tu- 


250  THE    GREAT    TABOO. 

Kila-Kila  speaks,  indeed,  the  truth.  Water  and  I,  with 
our  own  eyes,  have  seen  it." 

"  And  now,"  Felix  went  on,  "I  am  myself,  by  your 
own  laws,  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

The  King  of  Fire  made  a  gesture  of  dissent.  "  Oh, 
great  god,  pardon  me,"  he  murmured,  "  if  I  say  aught, 
now,  to  contradict  you  ;  but  you  are  not  a  full  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  yet  till  you  have  eaten  of  the  heart  of  the  god, 
your  predecessor." 

"  Then  where  is  now  the  spirit  of  Tu-Kila-Kila,  the 
very  high  god,  if  I  am  not  he  ?"  Felix  asked,  abruptly, 
thus  puzzling  them  with  a  hard  problem  in  their  own 
Bavage  theology. 

The  King  of  Fire  gave  a  start,  and  pondered.  This 
was  a  detail  of  his  creed  that  had  never  before  so  much 
as  occurred  to  him.  All  faiths  have  their  cruces.  "I 
do  not  well  know,"  he  answered,  "whether  it  is  in  the 
heart  of  Lavita,  the  son  of  Sami,  or  in  your  own  body. 
But  I  feel  sure  it  must  now  be  certainly  some- 
where, though  just  where  our  fathers  have  never  told 
us." 

Felix  recognized  at  once  that  he  had  gained  a  point. 
"  Then  look  to  it  well,"  he  said,  austerely.  "  Be  care- 
ful how  you  act.  Do  nothing  rash.  For  either  the 
soul  of  the  god  is  in  the  heart  of  Lavita,  the  son  of 
Sami;  and  then,  since  I  refuse  to  eat  it,  it  will  decay 
away,  as  Lavita's  body  decays,  and  the  world  will  shrivel 
up,  and  all  things  will  perish,  because  the  god  is  dead 
and  crumbled  to  dust  forever.  Or  else  it  is  in  my 
bod}',  who  am  god  in  his  place ;  and  then,  if  anybody 
does  me  harm  or  hurt,  he  will  be  an  impious  wretch, 
and  will  have  broken  taboo,  and  Heaven  knows  what 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  251 

evils  and  misfortunes  may  not,  therefore,  fall  on  each 
and  all  of  you." 

A  very  old  chief  rose  from  the  ranks  outside.  His 
hair  was  white  and  his  eyes  bleared.  "  Tn-Kila-Kila 
speaks  well,"  he  cried,  in  a  loud  but  mumbling  voice. 
"His  words  are  wise.  He  argues  to  the  point.  He  is 
very  cunning.  I  advise  you,  my  people,  to  be  careful 
how  you  anger  the  white-faced  stranger,  for  you  know 
what  he  is;  he  is  cruel ;  he  is  powerful.  There  never 
was  any  storm  in  my  time — and  I  am  an  old  man — so 
great  in  Bon  pari  as  the  storm  that  arose  when  the  King 
of  the  Rain  ate  the  storm-apple.  Our  }7ams  and  our 
taros  even  now  are  suffering  from  it.  He  is  a  mighty 
strong  god.     Beware  how  you  tamper  with  him  !" 

He  sat  down,  trembling.  A  younger  chief  rose 
from  a  nearer  rank,  and  said  his  say  in  turn.  "  I  do 
not  agree  with  our  father,"  he  cried,  pointing  to  the 
chief  who  had  just  spoken.  "  His  word  is  evil ;  he  is 
much  mistaken.  I  have  another  thought.  My  thought 
is  this.  Let  us  kill  and  eat  the  white-faced  stranger  at 
once,  by  wager  of  battle;  and  let  whosoever  fights  and 
overcomes  him  receive  his  honors,  and  take  to  wife  the 
fair  woman,  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds,  the  sun-faced 
Korong,  whom  he  brought  from  the  sun  with  him." 

"But  who  will  then  be  Tu-Kila-Kila?"  Felix  asked, 
turning  round  upon  him  quickly.  Habituation  to 
danger  had  made  him  unnaturally  alert  in  such  utmost 
extremities. 

"  Why,  the  man  who  slays  you,"  the  }7oung  chief 
answered,  pointedly,  grasping  his  heavy  tomahawk  with 
profound  expression. 

"  I  think  not,"  Felix  answered.     "  Your  reasoning  is 


l'.-(1'  THE    GREAT    TABOO. 

bad.  For  if  I  am  not  Tu-Kila-Kila,  how  can  any  man 
become  Tu-Kila-Kila  by  killing  me  '.  And  if  I  am  Tu- 
Kila-Kila.  how  dare  you,  not  being  yourself  Korong, 
and  not  having  broken  off  the  sacred  bough,  as  I  did, 
venture  to  attack  me  ?  You  wish  to  set  aside  all  the 
customs  of  Boupari.  Are  you  not  ashamed  of  such 
gross  impiety  ?" 

"  Tu-Kila-Kila  speaks  well,"  the  King  of  Fire  put 
in,  for  he  had  no  cause  to  love  the  aggressive  young 
chief,  and  lie  thought  better  of  his  chances  in  life  as 
Felix's  minister.  "  Besides,  now  I  think  of  it,  he  must 
be  Tu-Kila-Kila,  because  he  has  taken  the  life  of  the 
last  great  god,  whom  he  slew  with  his  hands;  and 
therefore  the  life  is  now  his — he  holds  it." 

Felix  was  emboldened  by  this  favorable  opinion  to 
strike  out  a  fresh  line  in  a  further  direction.  He 
stood  forward  once  more,  and  beckoned  a^ain  for  si- 
lence.  "  Yes,  my  people,"  he  said  calmly,  with  slow 
articulation,  "  by  the  custom  of  your  race  and  the  creed 
you  profess  I  am  now  indeed,  and  in  every  truth,  the 
abode  of  your  great  god,  Tu-Kila-Kila.  But,  further- 
more, I  have  a  new  revelation  to  make  to  you.  I  am 
going  to  instruct  you  in  a  fresh  way.  This  creed  that 
you  hold  is  full  of  errors.  As  Tu-Kila-Kila,  I  mean  to 
take  my  own  course,  no  islander  hindering  me.  If  you 
try  to  depose  me,  what  great  gods  have  you  now  got 
left  ?  None,  save  only  Fire  and  Water,  my  ministers. 
King  of  the  Rain  there  is  none;  for  I,  who  was  he, am 
now  Tu-Kila-Kila.  Tu-Kila-Kila  there  is  none,  save 
only  me ;  for  the  other,  that  was,  I  have  fought  and 
conquered.  The  Queen  of  the  Clouds  is  with  me. 
The  King  of  the  Birds  is  with  me.     Consider,  then,  O 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  253 

friends,  that  if  you  kill  us  all,  you  will  have  nowhere 
to  turn  ;  you  will  be  left  quite  godless." 

"  It  is  true,"  the  people  murmured,  looking  about 
them,  half  puzzled.  "  He  is  wise.  He  speaks  well. 
He  is  indeed  a  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

Felix  pressed  his  advantage  home  at  once.  "Now 
listen,"  he  said,  lifting  up  one  solemn  forefinger.  "  I 
come  from  a  country  very  far  away,  where  the  customs 
are  better  by  many  yams  than  those  of  Boupari.  And 
now  that  I  am  indeed  Tu-Kila-Kila— your  god,  your 
master — I  will  change  and  alter  some  of  your  customs 
that  seem  to  me  here  and  now  most  undesirable.  In 
the  first  place — hear  this ! — I  will  put  down  all  canni- 
balism. No  man  shall  eat  of  human  flesh  on  pain  of 
death.  And  to  begin  with,  no  man  shall  cook  or  eat 
the  body  of  Lavita,  the  son  of  Sami.  On  that  I  am 
determined— I,  Tu-Kila-Kila.  The  King  of  the  Birds 
and  I,  we  will  dig  a  pit,  and  we  will  bury  in  it  the 
corpse  of  this  man  that  was  once  your  god,  and  whom 
his  own  wickedness  compelled  me  to  fight  and  slay,  in 
order  to  prevent  more  cruelty  and  bloodshed." 

The  young  chief  stood  up,  all  red  in  his  wrath,  and 
interrupted  him,  brandishing  a  coral-stone  hatchet. 
"  This  is  blasphemy,"  he  said.  "  This  is  sheer,  rank 
blasphemy.  These  are  not  good  words.  They  are 
very  bad  medicine.  The  white-faced  Korong  is  no 
true  Tu-Kila-Kila.  His  advice  is  evil — and  ill-luck 
would  follow  it.  He  wishes  to  change  the  sacred  cus- 
toms of  Boupari.  Now,  that  is  not  well.  My  counsel 
is  this :  let  us  eat  him  now,  unless  he  changes  his  heart, 
and  amends  his  ways,  and  partakes,  as  is  right,  of  the 
body  of  Lavita,  the  son  of  Sami." 


254:  THE   GREAT   TAliOO. 

The  assembly  swayed  visibly,  this  way  and  that, 
some  inclining  to  the  conservative  view  of  the  rash 
young  chief,  and  others  to  the  cautious  liberalism  of 
the  gray-haired  warrior.  Felix  noted  their  division, 
and  spoke  once  more,  this  time  still  more  authorita- 
tively than  ever. 

"  Furthermore,"  he  6aid,  "  my  people,  hear  me.  As 
I  came  in  a  ship  propelled  by  fire,  over  the  high  waves 
of  the  sea,  so  I  go  away  in  one.  We  watch  for  such  a 
ship  to  pass  by  Boupari.  When  it  comes,  the  Queen 
of  the  Clouds — upon  whose  life  I  place  a  great  Taboo  ; 
let  no  man  dare  to  touch  her  at  his  peril :  if  he  does,  I 
Mill  rush  upon  him  and  kill  him  as  I  killed  Lavita,  the 
son  of  Sami.  When  it  comes,  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds, 
the  King  of  the  Birds,  and  I,  we  will  go  away  back  in 
it  to  the  land  whence  we  came,  and  be  quit  of  Boupari. 
But  we  will  not  leave  it  fireless  or  godless.  When  I 
return  back  home  again  to  my  own  far  land,  I  will 
send  out  messengers,  very  good  men,  who  will  tell  you 
of  a  God  more  powerful  by  much  than  any  you  ever 
knew,  and  very  righteous.  They  will  teach  you  great 
things  you  never  dreamed  of.  Therefore,  I  ask  you 
now  to  disperse  to  your  own  homes,  while  the  King  of 
Birds  and  I  bury  the  body  of  Lavita,  the  son  of  Sami." 

All  this  time  Muriel  had  been  seated  on  the  ground, 
listening  with  profound  interest,  but  scarcely  under- 
standing a  word,  though  here  and  there,  after  her  six 
months'  stajT  in  the  island,  a  single  phrase  was  dimly 
intelligible  to  her.  But  now,  at  this  critical  moment, 
she  rose,  and,  standing  upright  by  Felix's  side,  in  her 
spotless  English  purity  among  those  assembled  savages, 
she  pointed  just  once  with  her  uplifted  finger  to  the 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  255 

calm  vault  of  heaven,  and  then  across  the  moonlit  hor- 
izon of  the  sea,  and  last  of  all  to  the  clustering  huts 
and  villages  of  Bon  pari.  "Tell  them,"  she  said  to 
Felix,  with  blanched  lips,  but  without  one  sign  of  a 
tremor  in  her  fearless  voice,  "I  will  pray  for  them  to 
Heaven,  when  I  go  across  the  sea,  and  will  think  of 
their  children  that  I  loved  to  pat  and  play  with,  and 
will  send  out  messengers  from  our  home  beyond  the 
waves,  to  make  them  wiser  and  happier  and  better." 

Felix  translated  her  simple  message  to  them  in  its 
pure  womanly  goodness.  Even  the  natives  were 
touched.  They  whispered  and  hesitated.  Then  after  a 
time  of  much  murmured  debate,  the  King  of  Fire  stood 
forward  as  a  mediator.  "  There  is  an  oracle,  O  Korong," 
he  said,  not  to  prejudge  the  matter,  "  which  decides 
all  these  things — a  great  conch-shell  at  a  sacred  grove 
in  the  neighboring  island  of  Aloa  Mauna.  It  is  the 
holiest  oracle  of  all  our  holy  religion.  We  gods  and  men 
of  Boupari  have  taken  counsel  together,  and  have  come 
to  a  conclusion.  We  will  put  forth  a  canoe  and  send 
men  with  blood  on  their  faces  to  inquire  at  Aloa  Mauna 
of  the  very  great  oracle.  Till  then,  you  are  neither 
Tu-Kila-Kila,  nor  not  Tu-Kila-Kila.  It  behooves  us  to 
be  very  careful  how  we  deal  with  gods.  Our  people 
will  stand  round  your  precinct  in  a  row,  and  guard  you 
with  their  spears.  You  shall  not  cross  the  taboo-line 
to  them,  nor  they  to  you :  all  shall  be  neutral.  Food 
shall  be  laid  by  the  line,  as  always,  morn,  noon,  and 
night ;  and  your  Shadows  shall  take  it  in  ;  but  you  shall 
not  come  out.  Neither  shall  you  bury  the  bod}T  of 
Lavita,  the  son  of  Sami.  Till  the  canoe  comes  back,  it 
shall  lie  in  the  sun  and  rot  there." 


256  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

He  clapped  his  hands  twice. 

In  a  monu'iit  a  tom-tom  began  to  beat  from  beliind, 
and  the  people  all  crowded  without  the  circle.  The 
King  of  Fire  came  forward  ostentatiously  and  made 
taboo.  "If  any  man  cross  this  line,"  he  said  in  a 
droning  sing-song,  "  till  the  canoe  return  from  the  great 
oracle  of  our  faith  on  Aloa  Mauna,  I,  Fire,  will  scorch 
him  into  cinder  and  ashes.  If  any  woman  transgress, 
I  will  pitch  her  with  palm  oil,  and  light  her  up  for  a 
lamp  on  a  moonless  night  to  lighten  this  temple." 

The  King  of  Water  distributed  shark's-tooth  spears. 
At  once  a  great  serried  wall  hemmed  in  the  Europeans 
all  round,  and  they  sat  down  to  wait,  the  three  whites 
together,  for  the  upshot  of  the  mission  to  Aloa  Mauna. 

And  the  dawn  now  gleamed  red  on  the  eastern 
horizon. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

AT    SEA:    OFF    BOUPARI. 

Thirteen  days  out  from  Sydney,  the  good  ship  Aus- 
ti'alasian  was  nearing  the  equator. 

It  was  four  of  the  clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  the 
captain  (off  duty)  paced  the  deck,  puffing  a  cigar,  and 
talking  idly  with  a  passenger  on  former  experiences. 

Eight  bells  went  on  the  quarter-deck  ;  time  to  change 
■watches. 

"  This  is  only  our  second  trip  through  this  channel," 
the  captain  said,  gazing  across  with  a  casual  glance  at 
the  palm-trees  that  stood  dark  against  the  blue  horizon. 
"  We  used  to  go  a  hundred  miles  to  eastward,  here,  to 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  257 

avoid  the  reefs.  But  last  voyage  I  came  through  this 
way  quite  safely — though  we  had  a  nasty  accident  on 
the  road — unavoidable — unavoidable  !  Big  sea  was  run- 
ning free  over  the  sunken  shoals;  caught  the  ship  aft 
unawares,  and  stove  in  better  than  half  a  dozen  port- 
holes. Lady  passenger  on  deck  happened  to  be  lean- 
ing over  the  weather  gunwale ;  big  sea  caught  her  up 
on  its  crest  in  a  jiffy,  lifted  her  like  a  baby,  and  laid 
her  down  again  gently,  just  so,  on  the  bed  of  the  ocean. 
By  George,  sir,  I  was  annoyed.  It  was  quite  a  romance, 
poor  thing ;  quite  a  romance ;  we  all  felt  so  put  out 
about  it  the  rest  of  that  voyage.  Young  fellow  on 
board,  nephew  of  Sir  Theodore  Thurstan,  of  the  Colo- 
nial Office,  was  in  love  with  Miss  Ellis — girl's  name 
was  Ellis — father's  a  parson  somewhere  down  in  Som- 
ersetshire— and  as  soon  as  the  big  sea  took  her  up  on 
its  crest,  what  does  Thurstan  go  and  do,  but  he  ups  on 
the  taffrail,  and,  before  you  could  say  Jack  Robinson, 
jumps  over  to  save  her." 

"  But  he  didn't  succeed  ?"  the  passenger  asked,  with 
languid  interest. 

"  Succeed,  my  dear  sir  ?  and  with  a  sea  running 
twelve  feet  high  like  that  ?  Why,  it  was  pitch  dark, 
and  such  a  surf  on  that  the  gig  could  hardly  go  through 
it."  The  captain  smiled,  and  puffed  away  pensively. 
"  Drowned,"  he  said,  after  a  brief  pause,  with  compla- 
cent composure.  "  Drowned.  Drowned.  Drowned. 
Went  to  the  bottom,  both  of  'em.  Davy  Jones's  lock- 
er. But  unavoidable,  quite.  These  accidents  will 
happen,  even  on  the  best-regulated  liners.  Why,  there 
was  my  brother  Tom,  in  the  Cunard  service — same 
that  boast  they  never  lost  a  passenger ;  there  was  my 
17 


258  THE    GREAT    TABOO. 

brother  Tom,  he  was  out  one  day  off  the  Newfound- 
land banks,  heavy  swell  setting  in  from  the  nor'-nor'- 
east,  icebergs  ahead,  passengers  battened  down —  Bless 
my  bouI,  how  that  light  seems  to  come  and  go,  don't 
it?" 

It  was  a  reflected  light,  flashing  from  the  island 
straight  in  the  captain's  eyes,  small  and  insignificant 
as  to  size,  hut  strong  for  all  that  in  the  full  tropical 
sunshine,  and  glittering  like  a  diamond  from  a  vague 
elevation  near  the  centre  of  the  island. 

"  Seems  to  come  and  go  in  regular  order,"  the  pas- 
senger observed,  reflectively,  withdrawing  his  cigar. 
"  Looks  for  all  the  world  just  like  naval  signalling." 

The  captain  paused,  and  shaded  his  eyes  a  moment. 
"  Hanged  if  that  isn't  just  what  it  is"  he  answered, 
slowly.  "It's  a  rigged -up  heliograph,  and  they're 
using  the  Morse  code ;  dash  my  eyes  if  they  aren't. 
Well,  this  is  civilization  !  "What  the  dickens  can  have 
come  to  the  island  of  Boupari?  There  isn't  a  darned 
European  soul  in  the  place,  nor  ever  has  been.  An- 
chorage unsafe;  no  harbor;  bad  reef;  too  small  for 
missionaries  to  make  a  living,  and  natives  got  nothing 
worth  speaking  of  to  trade  in." 

"  What  do  they  say  ?"  the  passenger  asked,  with 
suddenly  quickened  interest. 

"How  the  devil  should  I  tell  you  yet,  sir?"  the  cap- 
tain retorted,  with  choleric  grumpiness.  "  Don't  you 
see  I'm  spelling  it  out,  letter  by  letter?  O,  r,  e,  s,  c,  u, 
e,  u,  s,  c,  o,  m,  e,  w,  e,  1,  1,  a,  r,  m,  e,  d —  Yes,  yes,  I 
twig  it."  And  the  captain  jotted  it  down  in  his  note- 
book for  some  seconds,  silently. 

"  Run  up  the  flag  there,"  he  shouted,  a  moment  later, 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  259 

rushing  hastily  forward.  "  Stop  her  at  once,  Walker. 
Easy,  easy.  Get  ready  the  gig.  Well,  upon  my  soul, 
this  is  a  rum  start,  anyway." 

"What  does  the  message  say?"  the  passenger  in- 
quired, with  intense  surprise. 

"Say?  Well,  there's  what  I  make  it  out,"  the  cap- 
tain answered,  handing  him  the  scrap  of  paper  on  which 
he  had  jotted  down  the  letters.  "  I  missed  the  begin- 
ning, but  the  end's  all  right.  Look  alive  there,  boys, 
will  you.  Bring  out  the  Winchester.  Take  cutlasses, 
all  hands.     I'll  go  along  myself  in  her." 

The  passenger  took  the  piece  of  paper  on  which  he 
read,  "  and  send  a  boat  to  rescue  us.  Come  well  armed. 
Savages  on  guard.     Thurstan,  Ellis." 

In  less  than  three  minutes  the  boat  was  lowered  and 
manned,  and  the  captain,  with  the  Winchester  six- 
shooter  by  his  side,  seated  grim  in  the  stern,  took  com- 
mand of  the  tiller. 

On  the  island  it  was  the  first  day  of  Felix  and  Mu- 
riel's imprisonment  in  the  dusty  precinct  of  Tu-Kila- 
Kila's  temple.  All  the  morning  through,  they  had  sat 
under  the  shade  of  a  smaller  banyan  in  the  outer  cor- 
ner ;  for  Muriel  could  neither  enter  the  noisome  hut 
nor  go  near  the  great  tree  with  the  skeletons  on  its 
branches ;  nor  could  she  sit  where  the  dead  savage's 
body,  still  festering  in  the  sun,  attracted  the  buzzing 
blue  flies  by  thousands,  to  drink  up  the  blood  that  lay 
thick  on  the  earth  in  a  pool  around  it.  Hard  by,  the 
natives  sat,  keen  as  lynxes,  in  a  great  circle  just  outside 
the  white  taboo-line,  where,  with  serried  spears,  they 
kept  watch  and  ward  over  the  persons  of  their  doubt- 


1>.;ii  THE  GREAT  TABOO. 

ful  gods  or  victims.  M.  Peyron,  alone  preserving  his 
equanimity  under  these  adverse  circumstances,  hummed 
low  to  himself  in  very  dubious  tones;  even  he  felt  his 
French  gayety  had  somewhat  forsaken  him  ;  this  revo- 
lution in  Boupari  failed  to  excite  his  Parisian  ardor. 

About  one  o'clock  in  the  dajr,  however,  looking  casu- 
ally seaward — what  was  this  that  M.  Peyron,  to  his 
great  surprise,  descried  far  away  on  the  dim  southern 
horizon  ?  A  low  black  line,  lying  close  to  the  water  ? 
No,  no;  not  a  steamer! 

Too  prudent  to  excite  the  natives'  attention  unneces- 
sarily, the  cautious  Frenchman  whispered,  in  the  most 
commonplace  voice  on  earth  to  Felix:  "Don't  look  at 
once ;  and  when  you  do  look,  mind  you  don't  exhibit 
any  agitation  in  your  tone  or  manner.  But  what  do 
you  make  that  out  to  be — that  long  black  haze  on  the 
horizon  to  southward  ?" 

Felix  looked,  disregarding  the  friendly  injunction, 
at  once.  At  the  same  moment,  Muriel  turned  her 
eyes  quickly  in  the  self-same  direction.  Neither  made 
the  faintest  sign  of  outer  emotion  ;  but  Muriel  clenched 
her  white  hands  hard,  till  the  nails  dug  into  the  palm, 
in  her  effort  to  restrain  herself,  as  she  murmured  very 
low,  in  an  agitated  voice,  "  Un  vapeur,  un  vapeur  /" 

"  So  I  think,"  M.  Peyron  answered,  very  low  and 
calm.     "It  is,  indeed,  a  steamer!" 

For  three  long  hours  those  anxious  souls  waited  and 
watched  it  draw  nearer  and  nearer.  Slowly  the  natives, 
too,  began  to  perceive  the  unaccustomed  object.  As 
it  drew  abreast  of  the  island,  and  the  decisive  moment 
arrived  for  prompt  action,  Felix  rose  in  his  place  once 
more  and  cried  aloud,  "  My  people,  I  told  you  a  ship, 


THE    GREAT    TABOO.  261 

propelled  by  fire,  would  come  from  the  far  land  across 
the  sea  to  take  us.  The  ship  has  come ;  you  can  see 
for  yourselves  the  thick  black  smoke  that  issues  in  huge 
puffs  from  the  month  of  the  monster.  Now,  listen  to 
me,  and  dare  not  to  disobey  me.  My  word  is  law  ; 
let  all  men  see  to  it.  I  am  going  to  send  a  message 
of  fire  from  the  sun  to  the  great  canoe  that  walks  upon 
the  water.  If  any  man  ventures  to  stop  me  from  doing 
it,  the  people  from  the  great  canoe  will  land  on  this 
isle  and  take  vengeance  for  his  act,  and  kill  him  with 
the  thunder  which  the  sailing  gods  carry  ever  about 
with  them." 

By  this  time  the  island  was  alive  with  commotion. 
Hundreds  of  natives,  with  their  long  hair  falling  un- 
kempt about  their  keen  brown  faces,  were  gazing  with 
open  eyes  at  the  big  black  ship  that  ploughed  her  way 
so  fast  against  wind  and  tide  over  the  surface  of  the 
waters.  Some  of  them  shouted  and  gesticulated  with 
panic  fear;  others  seemed  half  inclined  to  waste  no 
time  on  preparation  or  doubt,  but  to  rush  on  at  once, 
and  immolate  their  captives  before  a  rescue  was  possi- 
ble. But  Felix,  keeping  ever  his  cool  head  undisturbed, 
stood  on  the  dusty  mound  by  Tu-Kila-Kila's  house,  and 
taking  in  his  hand  the  little  mirror  he  had  made  from 
the  match-box,  flashed  the  light  from  the  sun  full  in 
their  eyes  for  a  moment,  to  the  astonishment  and  dis- 
comfiture of  all  those  gaping  savages.  Then  he  fo- 
cussed  it  on  the  Australasian,  across  the  surf  and  the 
waves,  and  with  a  throbbing  heart  began  to  make  his 
last  faint  bid  for  life  and  freedom. 

For  four  or  five  minutes  he  went  flashing  on,  uncer- 
tain of  the  effect,  whether  they  saw  or  saw  not.     Then 


202  THE    GREAT   TABOO. 

a  cry  from  Marie]  burst  at  once  upon  Lis  ears.  She 
clasped  her  hands  convulsively  in  an  agony  of  joy. 
"  They  see  us  !    They  see  us  !" 

And  sure  enough,  scarcely  half  a  minute  later,  a 
British  flag  ran  gayly  up  the  mainmast,  and  a  boat 
seemed  to  drop  down  over  the  side  of  the  vessel. 

As  for  the  natives,  they  watched  these  proceedings 
with  considerable  surprise  and  no  little  discomfiture — 
Fire  and  Water,  in  particular,  whispering  together, 
much  alarmed,  with  many  superstitious  nods  and  ta- 
boos, in  the  corner  of  the  enclosure. 

Gradually,  as  the  boat  drew  nearer  and  nearer,  di- 
vided counsels  prevailed  among  the  savages.  With 
no  certainly  recognized  Tu-Kila-Kila  to  marshal  their 
movements,  each  man  stood  in  doubt  from  whom  to 
take  his  orders.  At  last,  the  King  of  Fire,  in  a  hesi- 
tating voice,  gave  the  word  of  command.  "  Half  the 
warriors  to  the  shore  to  repel  the  enemy  ;  half  to  watch 
round  the  taboo-line,  lest  the  Korongs  escape  us !  Let 
Breathless  Fear,  our  war-god,  go  before  the  face  of  our 
troops,  invisible!" 

And,  quick  as  thought,  at  his  word,  the  warriors  had 
paired  off,  two  and  two,  in  long  lines;  some  running 
hastily  down  to  the  beach  to  man  the  war-canoes,  while 
others  remained,  with  shark's-tooth  spears  still  set  in  a 
looser  circle,  round  the  great  temple-enclosure  of  Tu- 
Kila-Kila. 

For  Muriel,  this  suspense  was  positively  terrible. 
To  feel  one  was  so  close  to  the  hope  of  rescue,  and  yet 
to  know  that  before  that  help  arrived,  or  even  as  it 
came  up,  those  savages  might  any  moment  run  their 
ghastly  spears  through  them. 


THE  GREAT  TABOO.  263 

But  Felix  made  the  best  of  his  position  still.  "Re- 
member," he  cried,  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  as  the  war- 
riors started  at  a  run  for  the  water's  edge,  "  your  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  tells  you,  these  new-comers  are  his  friends. 
Whoever  hurts  them,  does  so  at  his  peril.  This  is  a 
great  Taboo.  I  bid  you  receive  t;hem.  Beware  for 
your  lives.     I,  Tu-Kila-Kila  the  Great,  have  said  it." 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

THE   DOWNFALL   OF  A   PANTHEON. 

The  Australasian's  gig  entered,  the  lagoon  through 
the  fringing  reef  by  its  narrow  seaward  mouth,  and 
rowed  steadily  for  the  landing-place  on  the  main  island. 

A  little  way  out  from  shore,  amid  loud  screams  and 
yells,  the  natives  came  up  with  it  in  their  laden  war- 
canoes.  Shouting  and  gesticulating  and  brandishing 
their  spears  with  the  shark's-tooth  tips,  they  endeav- 
ored to  stop  its  progress  landward  by  pure  noise  and 
bravado. 

"We  must  be  careful  what  we  do,  boys,"  the  cap- 
tain observed,  in  a  quiet  voice  of  seamanlike  resolution 
to  his  armed  companions.  "  We  mustn't  frighten  the 
savages  too  much,  or  show  too  hostile  a  front,  for  fear 
they  should  retaliate  on  our  friends  on  the  island." 
He  held  up  his  hand,  with  the  gold  braid  on  the  wrist, 
to  command  silence ;  and  the  natives,  gazing  open- 
mouthed,  looked  and  wondered  at  the  gesture.  These 
sailing  gods  were  certainly  arrayed  in  most  gorgeous 


264  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

vestments,  and  their  canoe,  though  devoid  of  a  grin- 
ning figare-head,  was  provided  with  a  most  admirable 
and  well-uniformed  equipment. 

A  coral  rock  jutted  high  out  of  the  sea  to  left  hard 
by.  Its  summit  was  crowded  with  a  basking  popula- 
tion of  sea-gulls  and  pelicans.  The  captain  gave  the 
word  to  "  easy  all."  In  a  second  the  gig  stopped  short, 
as  those  stout  arms  held  her.  He  rose  in  his  place  and 
lifted  the  six-shooter.  Then  he  pointed  it  ostentatious- 
ly at  the  rock,  away  from  the  native  canoes,  and  held 
up  his  hand  yet  again  for  silence.  "We'll  give  'em  a 
taste  of  what  we  can  do,  boys,"  he  said,  "just  to  show 
'em,  not  to  hurt  'em."  At  that  he  drew  the  trigger 
twice.  His  first  two  chambers  were  loaded  on  purpose 
with  duck-shot  cartridges.  Twice  the  big  gun  roared  ; 
twice  the  lire  flashed  red  from  its  smoking  mouth.  As 
the  smoke  cleared  away,  the  natives,  dumb  with  sur- 
prise, and  perfectly  cowed  with  terror,  saw  ten  or  a 
dozen  torn  and  bleeding  birds  float  mangled  upon  the 
water. 

"Now  for  the  dynamite!"  the  captain  said,  cheerily, 
proceeding  to  lower  a  small  object  overboard  by  a  sin- 
gle wire,  while  he  held  up  his  hand  a  third  time  to  be- 
speak silence  and  attention. 

The  natives  looked  again,  with  eyes  starting  from 
their  heads.  The  captain  gave  a  little  click,  and  pointed 
with  his  finger  to  a  spot  on  the  water's  top,  a  little  way 
in  front  of  him.  Instantly,  a  loud  report,  and  a  column 
of  water  spurted  up  into  the  air,  some  ten  or  twelve 
feet  in  a  boisterous  fountain.  As  it  subsided  again,  a 
hundred  or  so  of  the  bright-colored  fish  that  browse 
among  the  submerged  coral-groves  of  these  still   la- 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  265 

goons,  rose  dead  or  dying  to  the  seething,  boiling 
surface. 

The  captain  smiled.  Instantly  the  natives  set  up  a 
terrified  shout.  "It  is  even  as  he  said,"  they  cried. 
"  These  gods  are  his  ministers  !  The  white-faced  Ko- 
rong  is  a  very  great  deity  !  He  is  indeed  the  true  Tu- 
Kila-Kila.  These  gods  have  come  for  him.  They  are 
very  mighty.  Thunder  and  lightning  and  waterspouts 
are  theirs.  The  waves  do  as  they  bid.  The  sea  obeys 
them.  They  are  here  to  take  away  our  Tu-Kila-Kila 
from  our  midst.  And  what  will  then  become  of  the 
island  of  Boupari  ?  Will  it  not  sink  in  the  waves  of 
the  sea  and  disappear?  Will  not  the  sun  in  heaven 
grow  dark,  and  the  moon  cease  to  shed  its  benign  light 
on  the  earth,  when  Tu-Kila-Kila  the  Great  returns  at 
last  to  his  own  far  country?" 

"  That  lot  '11  do  for  'em,  I  expect,"  the  captain  said 
cheerily,  with  a  confident  smile.  "Now  forward  all, 
boys.     I  fancy  we've  astonished  the  natives  a  trifle." 

They  rowed  on  steadily,  but  cautiously,  towards  the 
white  bank  of  sand  which  formed  the  usual  landing- 
place,  the  captain  holding  the  six-shooter  in  readiness 
all  the  time,  and  keeping  an  eye  firmly  fixed  on  every 
movement  of  the  savages.  But  the  warriors  in  the 
canoes,  thoroughly  cowed  and  overawed  by  this  singu- 
lar exhibition  of  the  strangers'  prowess,  paddled  on  in 
whispering  silence,  nearly  abreast  of  the  gig,  but  at  a 
safe  distance,  as  they  thought,  and  eyed  the  advancing 
Europeans  with  quiet  looks  of  unmixed  suspicion. 

At  last,  the  adventurous  young  chief,  who  had  ad- 
vised killing  Felix  off-hand  on  the  island,  mustered  up 
courage  to  paddle  his  own  canoe  a  little  nearer,  and 


2GG  THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

flung  his  spear  madly  in  the  direction  of  the  gig.  It 
fell  short  by  ten  yards,  lie  stood  eying  it  angrily. 
But  the  captain,  grimly  quiet,  raising  his  Winchester 
to  his  shoulder  without  one  second's  delay,  and  mark- 
ing his  man,  fired  at  the  young  chief  as  he  stood,  still 
half  in  the  attitude  of  throwing,  on  the  prow  of  his 
canoe,  an  easy  aim  for  fire-arms.  The  ball  went  clean 
through  the  savage's  breast,  and  then  ricochetted  three 
times  on  the  water  afar  off.  The  young  chief  fell 
stone  dead  into  the  sea  like  a  log,  and  sank  instantly  to 
the  bottom. 

It  was  a  critical  moment.  The  captain  felt  uncer- 
tain whether  the  natives  would  close  round  them  in 
force  or  not.  It  is  always  dangerous  to  fire  a  shot  at 
savages.  But  the  Boupari  men  were  too  utterly  awed 
to  venture  on  defence.  "  He  was  Tu-Kila-Kila's  enemy," 
they  cried,  in  astonished  tones.  "  He  raised  his  voice 
against  the  very  high  god.  Therefore,  the  very  high 
god's  friends  have  smitten  him  with  their  lightning. 
Their  thunderbolt  went  through  him,  and  hit  the  water 
beyond.  How  strong  is  their  hand !  They  can  kill 
from  afar.  They  are  mighty  gods.  Let  no  man  strive 
to  fight  against  the  friends  of  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

The  sailors  rowed  on  and  reached  the  landing-place. 
There,  half  of  them,  headed  by  the  captain,  disem- 
barked in  good  order,  with  drawn  cutlasses,  while  the 
other  half  remained  behind  to  guard  the  gig,  under  the 
third  officer.  The  natives  also  disembarked,  a  little 
way  off,  and,  making  humble  signs  of  submission  with 
knee  and  arm,  endeavored,  by  pantomime,  to  express 
the  idea  of  their  willingness  to  guide  the  strangers  to 
their  friends'  quarters. 


THE   GREAT   TABOO.  267 

The  captain  waved  them  on  with  his  hand.  The 
natives,  reassured,  led  the  way,  at  some  distance  ahead, 
along  the  paths  through  the  jungle.  The  captain  had 
his  ringer  on  his  six-shooter  the  while ;  every  sailor 
grasped  his  cutlass  and  kept  his  revolver  ready  for  ac- 
tion. "  I  don't  half  like  the  look  of  it,"  the  captain 
observed,  partly  to  himself.  "  They  seem  to  be  lead- 
ing us  into  an  ambuscade  or  something.  Keep  a  sharp 
lookout  against  surprise  from  the  jungle,  boys ;  and  if 
any  native  shows  light,  shoot  him  down  instantly." 

At  last  they  emerged  upon  a  clear  space  in  the  front, 
where  a  great  group  of  savages  stood  in  a  circle,  with 
serried  spears,  round  a  large  wattled  hut  that  occupied 
the  elevated  centre  of  the  clearing. 

For  a  minute  or  two  the  action  of  the  savages  was 
uncertain.  Half  of  the  defenders  turned  round  to  face 
the  invaders  angrily ;  the  other  half  stood  irresolute, 
with  their  spears  still  held  inward,  guarding  a  white 
line  of  sand  with  inflexible  devotion. 

The  warriors  who  had  preceded  them  from  the  shore 
called  aloud  to  their  friends  by  the  temple  in  startled 
tones.  The  captain  and  sailors  had  no  idea  what  their 
words  meant.  But  just  then,  from  the  midst  of  the 
circle,  an  English  voice  cried  out  in  haste,  "Don't  fire ! 
Do  nothing  rash  !  "We're  safe.  Don't  be  frightened. 
The  natives  are  disposed  to  parley  and  palaver.  Take 
care  how  you  act.     They're  terribly  afraid  of  you." 

Just  outside  the  taboo-line  the  captain  halted.  The 
gray-headed  old  chief,  who  had  accompanied  his  fel- 
lows to  the  shore,  spoke  out  in  Polynesian.  "Do  not 
resist  them,"  he  said,  "my  people.  If  you  do,  you 
will  be  blasted  by  their  lightning  like  a  bare  bamboo 


2G8  TIIE   GBEA.T   TABOO. 

in  a  mighty  cyclone.  Tliey  carry  thunder  in  their 
hands.  They  are  mighty,  mighty  gods.  The  white- 
faced  Korong  spoke  no  more  than  the  truth.  Let 
them  do  as  they  will  with  us.  We  are  but  their  meat. 
We  are  as  dust  beneath  their  sole,  and  as  driven  mul- 
berry leaves  before  the  breath  of  the  tempest." 

The  defenders  hesitated  still  a  little.  Then,  sudden- 
ly losing  heart,  they  broke  rank  at  last  at  a  point  close 
by  where  the  captain  of  the  Australasian  stood,  one 
man  after  another  falling  aside  slowly  and  shamefaced- 
ly a  pace  or  two.  The  captain,  unhesitatingly,  over- 
stepped the  white  taboo-line.  Next  instant,  Felix  and 
Muriel  were  grasping  his  hand  hard,  and  M.  Peyron 
was  bowing  a  polite  Parisian  reception. 

Forthwith,  the  sailors  crowded  round  them  in  a  hol- 
low square.  Muriel  and  Felix,  half  faint  with  relief 
from  their  long  and  anxious  suspense,  staggered  slow- 
ly down  the  seaward  path  between  them.  But  there 
was  no  need  now  for  further  show  of  defence.  The 
islanders,  pressing  near  and  flinging  away  their  weap- 
ons, followed  the  procession  close,  with  tears  and  lam- 
entations. As  they  went  on,  the  women,  rushing  out 
of  their  huts  while  the  fugitives  passed,  tore  their  hair 
on  their  heads,  and  beat  their  breasts  in  terror.  The 
warriors  who  had  come  from  the  shore  recounted,  with 
their  own  exaggerative  additions,  the  miracle  of  the  six- 
shooter  and  the  dynamite  cartridge.  Gradually  they 
approached  the  landing-place  on  the  beach.  There 
the  third  officer  sat  waiting  in  the  gig  to  receive  them. 
The  lamentations  of  the  islanders  now  became  positive- 
ly poignant.  "  Oh,  my  father,"  they  cried  aloud,  "my 
brother,  my  revered  one,  you  are  indeed  the  true  Tu- 


THE   GREAT    TABOO.  269 

Kila-Kila.  Do  not  go  away  like  this  and  desert  us! 
Oh,  our  mother,  great  queen,  inighty  goddess,  stop  with 
us !  Take  not  away  your  sun  from  the  heavens,  nor 
your  rain  from  the  crops.  We  acknowledge  we  have 
sinned ;  we  have  done  very  wrong ;  but  the  chief  sin- 
ner is  dead ;  the  wrong-doer  has  paid ;  spare  us  who 
remain  ;  spare  us,  great  deity  ;  do  not  make  the  bright 
lights  of  heaven  become  dark  over  us.  Stay  with  your 
worshippers,  and  we  will  give  you  choice  young  girls 
to  eat  every  day ;  we  will  sacrifice  the  tenderest  of  our, 
children  to  feed  you." 

It  is  an  awful  thing  for  any  race  or  nation  when  its 
taboos  fail  all  at  once,  and  die  out  entirely.  To  the 
men  of  Boupari,  the  Tu-Kila-Kila  of  the  moment  rep- 
resented both  the  Moral  Order  and  the  regular  se- 
quence of  the  physical  universe.  Anarchy  and  chaos 
might  rule  when  he  was  gone.  The  sun  might  be 
quenched,  and  the  people  run  riot.  No  wonder  they 
shrank  from  the  fearful  consequences  that  might  next 
ensue.  King  and  priest,  god  and  religion,  all  at  one 
fell  blow  were  to  be  taken  away  from  them ! 

Felix  turned  round  on  the  shore  and  spoke  to  them 
again.  "  My  people,"  he  said,  in  a  kindly  tone — for, 
after  all,  he  pitied  them — "you  need  have  no  fear. 
When  I  am  gone,  the  sun  will  still  shine  and  the  trees 
will  still  bear  fruit  every  year  as  formerly.  I  will 
send  the  messengers  I  promised  from  my  own  land  to 
teach  you.  Until  they  come,  I  leave  you  this  as  a 
great  Taboo.  Tu-Kila-Kila  enjoins  it.  Shed  no  human 
blood ;  eat  no  human  flesh.  Those  who  do  will  be 
punished  when  another  fire-canoe  comes  from  the  far 
land  to  bring  my  messengers." 


THE   GREAT   TABOO. 

The  King  of  Fire  bent  low  at  the  words.  "  Oh,  Tu- 
Kila-Kila,"  lie  Baid,  "  it  shall  be  done  as  you  say.  Till 
your  messengers  come,  every  man  shall  live  at  peace 
with  all  his  neighbors.'' 

They  stepped  into  the  gig.  Mali  and  Toko  followed 
before  M.  Peyron  as  naturally  as  they  had  always  fol- 
lowed their  masters  on  the  island  before. 

••  Who  are  these  2"  the  captain  asked,  smiling. 

"  Onr  Shadows,"  Felix  answered.  "  Let  them  come. 
I  will  pay  their  passage  when  I  reach  San  Francisco. 
They  have  been  very  faithful  to  us,  and  they  are  afraid 
to  remain,  lest  the  islanders  should  kill  them  for  letting 
us  go  or  for  not  accompanying  us." 

"  Very  well,"  the  captain  answered.  "  Forward  all, 
there,  boys !  Now,  ahead  for  the  ship.  And  thank 
God,  we're  well  out  of  it !" 

But  the  islanders  still  stood  on  the  shore  and  wept, 
stretching  their  hands  in  vain  after  the  departing  boat, 
and  crying  aloud  in  piteous  tones,  "Oh,  my  father,  re- 
turn !  Oh,  my  mother,  come  back!  Oh,  very  great 
gods,  do  not  fly  and  desert  us!" 

Seven  weeks  later  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Felix  Thurstan,  who 
had  been  married  in  the  cathedral  at  Honolulu  the  very 
morning  the  Australasian  arrived  there,  sat  in  an  emi- 
nently respectable  drawing-room  in  a  London  square, 
where  Mrs.  Ellis,  Muriel's  aunt  by  marriage,  was  acting 
as  their  hostess. 

"  But  how  dreadful  it  is  to  think,  dear,"  Mrs.  Ellis 
remarked  for  the  twentieth  time  since  their  arrival, 
with  a  deep-drawn  sigh,  "  how  dreadful  to  think  that 
you  and  Felix  should  have  been  all  those  months  alone 
on  the  island  together  without  being  married !" 


THE   GREAT  TABOO.  271 

Muriel  looked  up  with  a  quiet  smile  towards  Felix. 
"  I  think,  Aunt  Mary,"  shesaid,  dreamily,  "if  you'd  been 
there  yourself,  and  suffered  all  those  fears,  and  passed 
through  all  those  horrors  that  we  did  together,  you'd 
have  troubled  your  head  very  little  indeed  about  such 
conventionalities,  as  whether  or  not  you  happened  to 
be  married.  .  .  .  Besides,"  she  added,  after  a  pause,  with 
a  fine  perception  of  the  inexorable  stringency  of  Mrs. 
Grundy's  law,  "  we  weren't  quite  without  chaperons, 
either,  don't  you  know ;  for  our  Shadows,  of  course, 
were  always  with  us." 

Whereat  Felix  smiled  an  equally  quiet  smile.  "  And 
terrible  as  it  all  was,"  he  put  in,  "  I  shall  never  regret 
it,  because  it  made  Muriel  know  how  profoundly  I 
loved  her,  and  it  made  me  know  how  brave  and  trust- 
ful and  pure  a  woman  could  be  under  such  awful  con- 
ditions." 

But  Mrs.  Ellis  sat  still  in  her  chair  and  smiled  un- 
comfortably. It  affected  her  spirits.  Taboos,  after 
all,  are  much  the  same  in  England  as  in  Boupari. 


THE   END. 


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